Mary Bourke is a Newcastle (NSW, Australia) based chiropractor with qualifications in pediatric chiropractic care. Her wealth of experience and passion for health and wellness improvement in young children starts right from the very early months when the reflexes present in the newborn transfer to those that assist their progressive global development.

In this episode, Mary explains the nature of the primitive reflexes, how they integrate during infant development and the importance of allowing the infant to meet and progress through these developmental ‘milestones’ for optimal childhood development.

We explore how the opportunities are often lost in these modern times, and the child is denied the opportunity for the reflexes to integrate correctly. Mary then explains that when parents are aware, how their play-based assist can override the delays.  When primary reflexes are retained, the outcome can be reflected in the older child or adult, often presenting as unusual habits or tendencies. It is not uncommon that these need to be addressed through a collaboration of allied health therapies.

Mary and I also discuss how as adults, we adapt to retained reflexes often without recognising what they are- you might recognise some in yourself!

Contact Mary Bourke through the Vitality Junction Chiropractic clinic:

• Clinic@vitalityj.com.au
• 612-249 691965

Darron Goralsky is a Melbourne-based physiotherapist with a thriving specialist practice focusing on treating jaw joint pain and discomfort. Darron recognised early in his career that what he had initially learned about the management of TMJ disorders was insufficient and took on the challenge of continuing his education. That led him down an exciting pathway of discovery and enabled him to provide treatment based on the contributing factors, not just the symptoms. 

Darron’s understanding of the complexities of pain management in this area has led him to develop a team of clinicians who specialise in TMD's ( that's jaw joint dysfunction) and collaborate with a well respected dental practitioner plus a team of experienced orofacial myofunctional therapists (OMT’s) to offer clients comprehensive non-invasive care plans.

The Goralsky Craniomandibular Method addresses the patient’s current concerns and then trains (and empowers) clients to manage the early signs before they get ‘out of hand’.  Clients at the  Melbourne TMJ and Facial Pain Centre in the suburb of Armidale are offered this unique approach, and they report it has been life-changing for them. 

In this podcast we discuss how the practice and its principles have developed, the reason behind its success and the unique role orofacial myofunctional therapy plays in the temporomandibular joint/craniosacral rehabilitation process. We also look at how the current Covid enforced  ‘working from home’ situations are behind the extraordinary increase in head, neck and jaw joint problems. 

As an orofacial myofunctional therapist,  my current role as an OMT within the Townsville Orofacial Myology clinic expanded several months ago when Darron invited me onto the Melbourne TMJ and Facial Pain Centre‘s OMT online therapy team. Conflict of interest? Not from our client's point of view! 

As well as onsite assistance, the  Melbourne TMJ and Facial Pain Centre also offer comprehensive telehealth services for out-of-area clients. Contact information for both the Melbourne TMJ and Facial Pain centre is: https://www.melbournetmjcentre.com.au/

 For general Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy services (including TMJ assistance) contact the Townsville Orofacial Myology Clinic at:  https://townsvilleofm.com.au/

Dr Estie Bav is Melbourne based dentist who authored the book 'Growing Beautiful Teeth: Simple Strategies for your Child to Have Perfect teeth for Life'.  In this episode, we chat about her experience in watching children develop and had the first-hand experience when working abroad, of the ease in which health and wellbeing plus growth and development of the teeth and jaws can be altered- even in one generation.

We discussed the areas that parents, carers and health professionals should be aware of to ensure that children reach their full potential…and have beautiful teeth! As a practising dentist, Dr Bav sees the longterm effects of poor growth patterns and how they play out in the adult years. By ‘nipping problems in the bud, growth can be nurtured towards better outcomes, and she feels that both parents and professionals need to strive for this. 

Dr Bav’s book can be purchased through her website: http://www.growingbeautifulteeth.com.

Sharon Moore is an author, presenter and Speech Pathologist, with 4 decades of clinical experience across a wide range of communication and upper airway disorders. Her focus right now is sharing key research about the importance of upper airway health and sleep, in reference to the global epidemic of sleep problems. Recently, acknowledgement of the role of myofunctional therapy in the management of sleep disorders hails a new era of relevance for therapeutic interventions that support upper airway health and function, an affirmation of her chosen clinical direction. She believes that here has never been a more important time for medical and dental colleagues to work as a team with significant health morbidities of sleep disorders in all ages now widely known. Sharon has worked in medical clinical settings in Australia and London. Currently, she runs a Private Practice in Canberra, managing referrals from medical and dental specialists using an upper airway focussed approach, for patients of all ages and training speech pathologists in her methods. The integration of Orofacial Myofunctional principles into traditional Speech Pathology work allows a unique approach to managing upper airway disorders including breathing, swallowing, chewing, phonation, resonance & speech. Sharon has a special interest in early identification of craniofacial growth anomalies in non-syndromic children, airway obstruction in sleep disorders and concomitant orofacial dysfunctions. 

Sharon Moore is also the author of the Amazon best-selling book  ‘Sleep Wrecked Kids’. In this episode, the first in a two-part series, we chat about some of the simple things that may improve sleep for your child, and how easy it can be to miss the red flags indicating sleep quality is compromised.  

More information: http://www.wellspoken.com.au

In this episode, (part 2 of an interview with the incredible Sharon Moore), Sharon explains more about sleeping problems, the relationship between children’s airways and what to look for in your sleeping child. We discuss the interplay between bony structure and soft tissues and the importance of both in the growing children for airway health.

Sharon explains the proven correlation between sleep-disordered breathing in young children,  behaviour problems and the impairment to their executive function.  

Sharon Moore is an author, presenter and Speech Pathologist, with 4 decades of clinical experience across a wide range of communication and upper airway disorders. Her focus right now is sharing key research about the importance of upper airway health and sleep, in reference to the global epidemic of sleep problems. Recently, acknowledgement of the role of myofunctional therapy in the management of sleep disorders hails a new era of relevance for therapeutic interventions that support upper airway health and function, affirmation of her chosen clinical direction. She believes that here has never been a more important time for medical and dental colleagues to work as a team with significant health morbidities of sleep disorders in all ages now widely known. Sharon has worked in medical clinical settings in Australia and London. Currently, she runs a Private Practice in Canberra, managing referrals from medical and dental specialists using an upper airway focussed approach, for patients of all ages and training speech pathologists in her methods. The integration of Orofacial Myofunctional principles into traditional Speech Pathology work allows a unique approach to managing upper airway disorders the including: breathing, swallowing, chewing, phonation, resonance & speech. Sharon has a special interest in the early identification of craniofacial growth anomalies in non-syndromic children, airway obstruction in sleep disorders and concomitant orofacial dysfunctions. 

Sharon Moore is also the author of the Amazon best-selling book  ‘Sleep Wrecked Kids’. In this episode, the first in a two-part series, we chat about some of the simple things that may improve sleep for your child, and how easy it can be to miss the red flags indicating sleep quality is compromised.   
The first two chapters of  Sleep Wrecked Kids are free to download  on  http://www.wellspoken.com.au

For information on the SnoreLab app see http://www.snorelab.com

For information on full membership of The  Endeavour Group to which Sharon refers to in this episode see the show notes at: http://www.beyondbrushing.com

Jacqueline Biggar is a Sydney based  Oral Health Therapist who recently made the move to offer routine preventive dental services where it is most needed by clients. Jacquie’s mobile dental ‘clinic’ is totally portable and allows clients to receive basic dental care and hygiene services comfort and confines of their own home or care facility. Every dental clinician acknowledges that are clients (especially older clients) are often unable to access traditional dental visits for routine or preventive dental care either temporarily or permanently.  

In July 2020, Oral Health Therapists, Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists became independent practitioners and are now able to ‘branch out’ and reach those who are most often overlooked and incredibly vulnerable from an oral health perspective. 

In this episode, Jacquie shares her journey into the field of independent practice, her passions for preventive care and vision for her future as a clinical provider. We discuss the innovations which are taking place across Australia in light of the new regulatory changes and how this is going to benefit both the population and clinical staff as the need increases and the workforce adapts. 

Jacquie’s mobile dental practice 'Senior Dental Care' is based in Sydney, NSW.  https://seniordentalcare.com.au/
admin@seniordentalcare.com.au

Have you ever asked yourself the question ‘what exactly is Orofacial Myology’ or ‘what does an Orofacial Myologist do? Orofacial Myologists are registered allied health practitioners who already hold extensive knowledge and familiarity with the head and neck and who have undertaken further (and ongoing) study to combine their pre-existing knowledge and experience to offer functional assistance for clients. 

In this episode, I explain how orofacial myofunctional therapy can be an important adjunct to traditional health services and the approach that Townsvile Orofacial Myology takes to help clients obtain and maintain improved health outcomes. 

Clients often seek ‘OM’ to prepare for oral or airway surgery,  for rehabilitation afterwards or to help address incorrect habits or poor function. There is no typical client and each case is individually assessed. 

TOfM is Townsville’s only independent clinic and as such, clients are able to seek help and advice while continuing to work with their existing health care providers, incorporating orofacial myofunctional therapy without bias.   In this same way, for regional or remote clients where 'face to face'  visits may not be practical, telehealth services available. 

Further information can be found and contact details are available  at:
www.townsvilleofm.com.au 

Tongue ties, (tethered oral tissues or restricted oral frenums) have been present and acknowledged as a concern as far back as the Biblical times. However, the ramifications of not recognising the impact for the patient is gaining greater attention from many different sectors of health care and especially now that there is a great understanding of how restrictions can impact the day to day life of those who are affected.

In this interview, I chat with chiropractor, Dr Stevanie Bahnerth and release provider, Dr Cara Riek, who live and work in Arizona and collaborate to support clients in their remediation when restrictions have been identified as contributing to ongoing health issues.

While the release may be relatively simple in an older child or adult, the compensations that the patient has made in an effort to deal with the restrictions in their own particular circumstance takes a greater understanding by the practitioners who are assisting their clients, as well as extra work by those clients. Therefore, the importance of a collaborative approach is not lost on those who are helping patients to regain improved function whether before or after a frenectomy. The positive health gains reported from those who have experienced releases in a collaborative health care model cannot be dismissed.

The information discussed in this episode will provide valuable information for those who are considering releases, who have been identified as having ties or those who may be gathering information in an effort to understand this area of health care.

Further information on this subject can be found at:

Dr Stevanie Bahnerth
 Healthy Images

29455 N Cave Creek Rd Ste 124, Cave Creek, AZ, 85331

Dr Cara Riek

Arizona Breastfeeding Medicine and Wellness Centre

 www.bfmedaz.com/tongue-tie

Cathy Boyce

Townsville Orofacial Myology Clinic

www.townsvilleofm.com.au