FUNCTIONAL FACE

Helping Children & Adults Breathe, Sleep, and Function Better—When Traditional Care Isn’t Enough

Specializing in airway-focused myofunctional therapy and lactation for sleep, TMJ, feeding, and facial development.

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MEET THE TEAM

Barbara Hester

RDH, COM®

Barbara brings 19 years of experience as a clinical dental hygienist, where she developed a strong foundation in oral health and patient care. Through her clinical work, she recognized the impact of tongue ties and orofacial dysfunction on breathing, sleep, dental and overall health, which led her to pursue advanced training in myofunctional therapy.

As a Certified Orofacial Myologist (COM®), Barbara focuses on improving tongue function, oral habits, and breathing patterns to support long-term airway health. She is committed to delivering consistent, results-driven care and helping patients make meaningful, lasting progress throughout therapy.

FULL BIO & CREDENTIALS

Courtney Huffman

LDH, COM®, QOM, IFC, CSSC

Hello! As the tri-state’s first Certified Orofacial Myologist(COM®), with years of experience leading airway-focused care in the region, I take great pride in the work I do and am committed to providing caring, individualized therapy for patients of all ages with Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders.

Working in conjunction with local Dentists and Orthodontists, Speech Pathologists, ENT’s, and other medical professionals, I help patients address the root causes of their symptoms and achieve meaningful, lasting results.

I’m passionate about helping you breathe better, sleep better, and function at your best—and I look forward to being part of your journey to better health.

FULL BIO & CREDENTIALS

WHAT WE DO

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, Oral Habit Elimination, Lactation and Sleep Coaching Services

Restore Nasal Breathing & Eliminate Mouth Breathing

We are meant to breathe through our nose and not our mouth. Mouth breathing is harmful to our health and craniofacial growth and development. Myofunctional therapy will help you reestablish normal nasal breathing for total body health and proper orofacial development.

Achieve Normal Oral Rest Posture

Oral rest posture is a common, but often missed, link in the underlying cause of speech articulation errors, dental malocclusions, periodontal issues, and orthodontic relapse. Myofunctional Therapy teaches you to achieve and maintain correct oral rest posture that promotes a healthy orofacial complex.

Eliminate Harmful Oral Habits

Our personalized programs help you eliminate noxious oral habits such as thumb, finger, lip, or tongue sucking, nail biting, tooth grinding, etc. These habits are a common cause of dental malocclusions and other problems.

Sleep Coaching

Sleep is an often underestimated and undervalued pillar of health. Getting the sleep you need can have a significant positive impact in all aspects of your life. This includes better mood, memory and concentration, improved immunity, reduced risk of chronic health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, and so much more.

Our program is designed to help individuals overcome sleep challenges and develop healthy sleep habits that can lead to a lifetime of restful and restorative sleep. Courtney, our Certified Sleep Science Coach will teach you practical strategies for improving the quality and quantity of your sleep and overcome challenges such as falling asleep and staying asleep. We provide you with the support and accountability you need to achieve your sleep goals, so you can experience your best sleep ever and all the benefits it brings.

Stable Occlusion/Bite

Have you or someone you know, had braces before, only to have all that work come undone with a relapse in your bite some time later? Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders are one of the most common causes of malocclusion (crooked teeth) and of orthodontic relapse. They can even be responsible for relapse after orthognathic surgery. Myofunctional therapy helps restore proper orofacial function. This promotes a stable occlusion, so you can have an orthodontic outcome that lasts.

Support Disordered Sleep / OSA Treatment

Many times, myofunctional disorders are contributing factors in sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea — and the reverse is also true. That’s why every new evaluation includes screening for airway and sleep issues. Orofacial myofunctional therapy has been shown to reduce snoring, improve CPAP comfort and adherence, and significantly reduce symptoms of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea.

Prefer a flexible approach from the comfort of home? In addition to in-person care, we offer a self-paced and group format online for adults looking for natural relief from sleep apnea.

Learn more about the program here »

Tongue Thrust

A tongue thrust can cause many issues for a person. These may include a lisp, abnormal facial muscle tone, misalignment of teeth, an open bite, difficulty with chewing and swallowing, and even wearing dentures. We help you determine the cause of the thrust and treat the cause, not just the symptoms.

Tongue-Tie

Tethered oral tissues (ie: tongue and lip ties) can impede orofacial growth and restrict or prevent normal oral functions such as nursing, speech, feeding, and much more. We work with highly skilled release providers so that you can achieve long-lasting results to restore proper oral functions.

testimonials

What people say about us.

I had BRACES THREE TIMES, and each time I relapsed. I was in PAIN EVERY DAY. Within about a minute of walking in the office, Courtney was pretty sure she knew the root cause of my relapses and she was right! I am doing AMAZING NOW. I am breathing great, am out of pain, and have a stable bite. I wish I had known about Courtney and myofunctional therapy when I was a kid. I know it would have saved me so much time, money, and most importantly, pain. I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS about Courtney and about myofunctional therapy in general. It was a GAME CHANGER for me.

Sarah M.

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Courtney is amazing! She has walked us through some somewhat overwhelming things....I just wish I had known Courtney when our kids were tiny. It would have been much easier, but it's never too late!

N. Hinton

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We would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Courtney!! My daughter had a tongue tie, tongue thrust (dysfunctional swallow) and incorrect oral rest posture (low tongue posture, mouth often open/sometimes snoring during sleep). Basically her tongue and breathing was contributing to malocclusion/misaligned jaws or teeth( specifically for her an open bite) and orthodontic relapse (needing braces again). Courtney worked super hard to keep her motivated and help her get everything working correctly. Courtney did a tremendous job working with the Orthodontist and the Dental Surgeon to keep our daughter on track and always kept us updated on her progress! We are VERY THANKFUL for her and all she did for Darby!!

Nicole S.

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