Hello, my name is Fabiana Sousa.
I have 4 amazing children with my high school sweetheart. We have been married for 18 years.
I am a registered dental hygienist and orofacial myofunctional therapist. I graduated from University of Alaska and received Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy training through the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy. I have been working in the dental field for nearly 20 years. I primarily work in pediatric dentistry when practicing clinical dental hygiene and I absolutely love working with children of all ages.
My Story
Like so many other professionals, my education and training in airway has been a personal journey. My dental hygiene education, though exceptional, still left me completely in the dark and lacking a full awareness of how TOTs (Tethered Oral Tissues). I had a rudimentary understanding of how untreated tongue and/or lip tie can affect infants, children and adults. Present day, I have spent countless hours in continuing education courses and advanced training to help our 3 children and my husband who all had TOTs of varying degrees. My children all struggled with colic, reflux, sleep issues, vomiting, neck tension, digestive issues and breastfeeding issues. My husband snored terribly and had just about every other sign of sleep apnea as well as digestive issues. He had many signs of tongue tie as an infant. After strategically navigating the healthcare system, I was able to find them all the appropriate specialty care and therapies. We were fortunate enough to have expert providers in our area to perform their frenectomies. But it has been quite the journey and was filled with plenty of "no, your child is fine" or "he'll grown out of it". I had to trust my intuition that it was much more complex than that.
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I have experienced firsthand how challenging TOTs can be for an entire family. So, if you found yourself here and are looking for answers- the first step is education. It is a priority in my practice to encourage others to advocate for themselves and their family while I pass along all the knowledge I have gained. Together, we can make so many positive changes to your and your family's health. I look forward to working with you!