Optimal oral health and development... right from the start!
What is an OHT? (Oral Health Therapist)
An OHT is a qualified, registered health professional that assesses, diagnoses, educates and treats dental disease in children and young adults. This includes but is not limited to dental examinations, teeth cleaning, x-rays, restorative procedures and extractions of primary teeth where required.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Oral Health from the University of Melbourne in 2007. Prior to that I'd been working as a dental assistant for 7 years. Once I graduated, I worked in general private practice and the school dental service before I moved on to a specialist paediatric practice in Melbourne. That's when I met my husband and I made the move to sunny Perth and then worked in another general practice exclusively treating children for another 10 years. When I'm not at work you can find me at the beach or park with my kids, snuggled up with a dental book (airway health and myofunctional orthodontics are what I'm geeking out over at the moment) or cooking up a storm in my Thermomix with old school RnB tunes blaring!
what is an oht? (Oral Health THerapist)
What is an OMT? (Orofacial myofunctional Therapist)
what is an omt? (orofacial myofunctional therapist)
An OMT is a qualified health professional (usually with a dental or speech background) who is trained to diagnose and treat any dysfunction of the orofacial muscles, teeth, jaws and tongue. This is usually done through an individualised exercise program designed to help retrain the muscles to function in a way that promotes optimal orofacial growth and development. A referral to a collaborative health professional is usually a part of this process.
Your child will have numerous structures screened including but not limited to, their tongue function, airway space and any speech or feeding concerns.
I graduated from the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in 2016 and have become obsessed with the field ever since!!
My Why
I've been in the dental industry for 23 years and I can't ever imagine doing anything else for a career.
I've had two tongue tied babies and two very different journeys with each. My children's struggles motivated me to learn, research, advocate and educate. It's now my mission to save others from the struggles we went through and help identify any red flags early and refer you to the correct health professional to assist you in getting the best possible outcome for your child.
I've decided to do my business "on the go" cos I get it. I'm a busy Mum of two with a FIFO husband, a cat, a dog and a household to run. I'm creating a service that I WISH was available when my kids were young. Instead of dragging the kids to yet another appointment, let me come to you!
Your kids will be happier and more comfortable in their own home and will therefore be more relaxed to allow me to conduct a more thorough assessment. You don't have to travel anywhere. You’ll have the added benefit of me actually being in your home allowing me to help identify any barriers to achieving your optimal oral health goals. If there are siblings or friends around, we can do group visits! While your child waits for their turn you don't have to worry about them being bored or hungry. They can play outside, have a snack, look at a book or have a play with my props and toys in the comfort of their own home.
I have a holistic, whole body, root cause approach to dentistry. I don't just look at the teeth, I assess and treat the whole person attached to those teeth. I do a very thorough assessment and ask many seemingly unrelated questions whilst I build a picture of what's going on and start to acquire clues as to what the root cause of any dental issues may be. I have a collaborative, team approach where I believe that no one professional can treat "all the things". I work with a wonderful team of caring professionals that have the same "prevention is better than cure" philosophy. I work with Ear, Nose and Throat specialists, airway focused orthodontists, tongue tie release providers (dentists), speech pathologists, feeding specialists, chiropractors and osteopaths, paediatric allergists, naturopaths, lactation consultants, occupational therapists and homeopaths. Not every child will need everyone but my collaborative options are endless!
