What if I told you one of the biggest reasons your orthodontic results don't last has nothing to do with braces or aligners?

As orthodontists, we're trained to move teeth—but lasting results depend on much more than mechanics. In this episode, I sit down with Autumn Henning, speech-language pathologist, certified orofacial myologist, founder of Chrysalis Orofacial, and one of the leading educators in the myofunctional therapy world, to talk about something every orthodontist should understand: oral function matters.

We dive into what myofunctional therapy actually is, why airway treatment requires an interdisciplinary approach, and why no single provider—or appliance—can solve every airway or sleep-related issue. Autumn explains how speech, swallowing, breathing, tongue posture, and orthodontics all work together, and why better diagnosis always leads to better outcomes. If you're treating growing patients—or simply want more stable orthodontic results—this episode will change how you think about collaboration and patient care.

*Quotes*

"Protocols are probabilities. They work a lot of the time, but they're never going to work 100% of the time."
*— Autumn Henning*

"I believe there's a reason for everything. I don't accept 'idiopathic' without asking why."
*— Autumn Henning*

*Key Takeaways*

Intro (00:00)
Autumn's background & oral function trifecta (01:59)
How Chrysalis and Touch Training were created (03:51)
Why orthodontics can't solve airway problems alone (04:49)
What myofunctional therapy actually is (06:21)
Hardware vs. software (09:16)
Why interdisciplinary care matters (11:31)
What happens during a myofunctional evaluation? (22:03)
Virtual vs. in-person therapy (25:11)
Treatment timeline & investment (27:44)
Why school speech therapy often misses these patients (34:05)
The future of airway treatment is collaboration (37:11)

*🟦 Additional Resources*

If you've ever wondered whether myofunctional therapy belongs in your practice—or how it fits into airway treatment—this episode is the perfect place to start. The more I learn about airway and sleep-disordered breathing, the more convinced I become that great outcomes come from great teams, not individual providers.

If you want to dive deeper, join us at the Orthopreneurs Airway Symposium in Scottsdale, where Autumn will be one of our featured speakers alongside orthodontists, ENTs, oral surgeons, sleep physicians, and other experts focused on interdisciplinary care.

- Airway Meeting: https://opairway.com

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

*To connect with Autumn directly:*

📧 autumn@chrysalisorofacial.com

📸 Instagram: @chrysalisorofacial1