Karie Shirtz

I remember being at the orthodontist as a young child and thinking that the orthodontist made good money based on his car and changing rubber bands seemed easy. That was the day a seed was planted for a career. I took a dental assisting class in high school and remember learning how to properly floss and I enjoyed the detail work of making a temporary crown. I worked as a dental assistant as I waited to get into hygiene school. That was all about 28 years ago. I've worked as a full time Dental Hygienist since 2007 and just hit my 18 year anniversary at New Smiles Dental in Sherwood. I have a teachers heart. I love doing oral hygiene instruction. I love talking about the etiology of bacteria and I LOVE seeing patient back to see what improvements my suggestions have made. I had no idea as that child in the orthodontist chair, that I would love the mouth the way I do now. I came across Myofunctional Therapy because of a co-worker. My friend Julie attended a CE coarse about it and kept thinking about one of my children. She brought it up several times, so I decided to check it out. I started reading the book Breathe by James Nestor and it rocked my world in the best way possible. A fire was lit inside of me. I kept reading and listening to podcasts and lectures online. I couldn't get enough. I had found something that could help my child. I then felt angry. Why hadn't I learned this in school? Why hadn't any of the professionals we've seen learned this? Myofunctional Therapy is an emerging field and because of research coming out the last 14 years, it's gaining more attention. I've always felt like I would of enjoyed a career in physical therapy. I've also considered going back to school for speech language pathology because it's helped my child so much. Myofunctional Therapy is a physical therapist for your tongue, face and lips and it's similar to a speech language pathologist in that we teach small exercises. With my extensive background in dental and my love for teaching, I feel now that Myofunctional Therapy has been my destiny all along. Airway Envy is for everyone, but my heart is with those with developmental and neurodivergent conditions. My journey as a mother has shown me that this population often has significant myofunctional disorders that can affect, sleep, behavior and speech. I have witnessed first hand, addressing myofunctional disorders has made profound improvements. I am that mother who has searched high and low for answers and cried behind closed doors. I know what it's like to not relate to peers because your life revolves around therapy appointments. I have developed relationships with different professionals that share my passion for helping a child live their best life and support parents doing their best. Maybe our journey can help another child in need. This is my "why" behind Myo and I can't be stopped in my resolution.