A Practical Program
Oral health is airway health. This program uses the principles of the Dental Hygiene Process of Care to identify and treat Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) effectively.
Designed specifically for dental hygienists, this program will equip you with the confidence to incorporate Myofunctional Therapy at an entry level into your clinical practice. Dentists are also welcome to register and benefit from this transformative program.
This 30-hour hybrid program combines online learning and hands-on training to ensure you can practice Myofunctional Therapy safely and effectively. It also emphasizes that knowledge and research in this field are continually evolving, inspiring participants to embrace lifelong learning.
The program consists of 7 weeks of online training one evening per week followed by two days of in-person training at our rdhu facility in Burlington, ON and we welcome dental professionals from across the country and North America.
There is a 6-hour online pre-requisite course that you need to take prior to the Full Training Program: Mysteries of Myofunctional Therapy. Click here to access the next live date to join in or email info@rdhu.ca to receive a link to register and we can send you a recording.
The Dental Hygiene Process of Care is incorporated into our program and is designed for dental hygienists.
We hope you will join us on this journey!
There are 4 components to this program:
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1. Anatomy, Physiology, and PathophysiologyLearn moreA strategic review of head and neck anatomy, as well as respiratory and digestive functions.
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2. Assessment & PlanningLearn moreIdentifying Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) and developing client-specific treatment plans.
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4. Evaluation & Clinical PracticeLearn moreOngoing evaluation and successful incorporation of Myofunctional Therapy into clinical practice as part of a collaborative healthcare team.
Joe Siegfried is a dedicated dental hygienist with extensive experience in airway-focused dentistry. Before opening his own independent dental hygiene practice in 2019, Joe worked in a Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) and Sleep-focused practice starting in 2010. In 2013, he began performing diagnostic evaluations and assessments for both TMD and Sleep Breathing Disorders, deepening his expertise in this specialized field.
Since becoming educated in Myofunctional Therapy in 2015, Joe has treated over 200 individuals with personalized therapy interventions. He has also assisted chairside in more than 100 frenectomies in collaboration with various dental practices, further honing his skills and knowledge in airway health.
Joe’s program at rdhu was developed by a dental hygienist, specifically for dental hygienists. Unlike broader-based introductions to Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT)—many of which allow non-regulated health professionals to participate—Joe’s program is designed to meet the unique needs of dental hygiene professionals.
The comprehensive program includes 36 hours of learning. It begins with a 6-hour prerequisite course as an introduction to Myofunctional Therapy. The core 30-hour Practical Program includes 15 hours of theory-based live online learning and 15 hours of hands-on, practical training at rdhu in Burlington, ON.
Course Description:
Are you an RDH who has taken an Introduction to Myofunctional Therapy Program and still have no idea how it relates to the Dental Hygiene Process of Care?
Are you creating a Dental Hygiene Diagnosis for your myo clients? Are your treatment plans client specific or is each client following the same weekly program?
Designed for RDH’s who haven’t quite implemented myo into their arsenal of therapies to treat oral heath, this virtual workshop will walk through the Assessment, Dental Hygiene Diagnosis, client specific Treatment Planning phases and provide a greater understanding of how to implement these into practice. Select participant cases will be presented allowing the opportunity to collaborate and review cases as peers.
This will be a live, online interactive experience with limited virtual seats available.
Click here to access our next live date!
The ‘Myofunctional Therapy: A Practical Program’ is eligible for IAOM Active membership and certification enrollment.
We’re dedicated to finding speakers that compliment and enhance our Myofunctional Therapy Program.
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Dr. Mandeep Johal, D.M.DCourses:
Connecting the Dots Between Tongue Ties, Myofunctional Therapy and Orthodontics (available by recording, contact info@rdhu.ca)
Dr. Mandeep Johal was born and raised, in Toronto. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry in 2010. She runs a busy dental office in her hometown of Guelph.
She is the first to open a Tongue & lip tie center in Ontario. Her commitment to lifelong learning ensures that she is always abreast of current knowledge, technology and techniques. Countless hours traveling for continuing education to learn from the best. She has completed 3 mini residency in Orthodontics.
Her curiosity of the her son’s crowded teeth at the age of 3 led her to learn more about tongue ties, oral myofunctional therapy, airway dentistry, sleep dentistry, nutrition, TMJ and orthotropics, science of Facial Growth Guidance and Holistic Dentistry. What she discovered was that it is all connected.
She is certified to perform laser surgery by the American Board of Laser Surgery. She is also a member of the International consortium of Oral Anklyofrenula Professionals and a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. In addition, as a AAPMD airway Colab Chapter President for Toronto, is building relationships with the community and collaborating with other long time and emerging leaders in the field. This has allowed her to build a collaborative approach on how she treats her patients.
She feels very privileged to be apart of the Well.ca family as their online Dentist. She feels fortunate to go to work happy everyday knowing she is changing people lives for the better, they can breathe better, eat better, speak better, sleep better and feel their best.
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Joy Lantz RDH, PHDH, COM®, IBCLCCourses:
The Multifaceted Role of Dental Hygienists: Nurturing Maternal and Infant Well-Being (available by recording, contact info@rdhu.ca)
Joint Ventures: Navigating the Temporomandibular Joint Maze
Joy has over 25 years of experience in the dental field with a background in dental hygiene. She earned her degree in dental hygiene in 1998. Joy began practicing orofacial myology in 2016 and received her Certification in Orofacial Myology (COM) from the International Association of Orofacial Myology in 2017. She has been a Board of Director of the IAOM since 2020 and is currently serving as the Executive Committee Recording Secretary. She is also co-chair for the IAOM Convention Committee. She came out of her myofunctional private practice to join the team at Inspire Dental Wellness in 2020. She also earned her title, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist in 2021 and got her International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) credential in 2022. Joy is the 2023 recipient of the IAOM Rosemarie Van Norman Prevention Award. She created the mini Sproutz program for dental offices to examine children aged birth to three for anticipatory guidance for parents and to track oral development in early years. Joy is the owner of Joy Lantz: Transforming Oral Health, specializing in educating patients, parents and colleagues about airway and myofunctional concepts. She is a professional author and speaker presenting courses on anticipatory guidance, collaboration for patient care and myofunctional therapy. Her passion is to assist dental and medical professionals to work together in screening and treating for oral myofunctional disorders and overall health.
We receive lots of questions regarding the Training Program for the Myofunctional Therapy: A Practical Program, and would like to unpack these so not to leave you wondering!
For the Full Training Program...
Typically, in the past, dental hygienists would take their training in the States. After years of requests for rdhu to offer the training program, we approached Joe Siegfried, who is a RDH and a Myofunctional Therapist, to work with us on this!
Joe has created a fabulous training program! This is a program designed FOR dental hygienists as many of the other programs offered to other healthcare professionals outside of dentistry. The Dental Hygiene Process of Care for Myofunctional Therapy is included in the program.
Here is some information that we hope will be helpful!
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We have created a hybrid program. Since this is a 30-hour course, the theory portion is online and the hands-on portion is a 2-day event with us at rdhu!
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For the online portion, you can participate from the comfort of your own home. It is important that you attend the live sessions as it is a small group setting and videos are on. If you need to miss a night, we can send you the recording but it is important that the majority of these sessions you are live with us.
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There is an online pre-requisite course that you need to take prior to the Full Training Program. It is a 6-hour online course: Mysteries of Myofunctional Therapy. If you haven't already taken this course, please click here to register, or email info@rdhu.ca for more information.
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There is a mentoring group following the session that is available to all participants who have completed the training program. It is always recommended that you continue with your learning and is expected from our regulatory college to do so. When you complete this training, you will be ready to implement this additional service/treatment to your clients.
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Please check with your regulatory body that Myofunctional therapy is within the scope of practice for your State or Province.
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If you are an independent RDH, you can implement this into your practice. If you are working within a dental practice, Joe shares strategies on successful implementation as he worked as a Myofunctional Therapist in a GP practice prior to opening his own dental hygiene clinic.
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If you need a Payment Plan, we will work with you on this; however, we need the payment to be complete prior to the 2-day hands-on weekend.
*Once a payment plan has been issued, it cannot be refunded.
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Upon completion of the program, Registered Dental Hygienists will earn the training to become Myofunctional Therapists and receive a Certificate of Completion.
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Implementation:
Whether you work in a general dental practice or operate your own dental hygiene clinic, implementing Myofunctional Therapy can bring significant benefits. During the program, you will learn about appropriate fees and codes to use. If you are employed in a dental practice, discussing potential impacts on your wage with your employer is essential. This addition opens up limitless opportunities for professional growth and practice development.
