JOURNEY TO MYOLINE

After completing her Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery in 2006, Dr.Shifa had chosen her Masters in Preventive and Pediatric dentistry and completed it in 2009. On completing her master’s Dr.Shifa worked with a few leading corporate dental centres and had found herself exploring the functions of a removable Myofunctional appliance in children. In 2012, she started her own practice in Coimbatore, WE Little. Her journey there started with understanding the role of epigenetics in crooked teeth and its prevention. In 2013 she had visited Myofunctional Research and Co., Australia for a deeper understanding for Myofunctional therapy in dentistry. Having seen over 350 cases by then with Myofunctional therapy, she began setting her own protocols for children customized to their needs by 2015.

Dr.Shifa with a deep inclination to academics and had been a part the teaching profession alongside her clinical practice for 9 years until 2018. She had presented at IAOM conferences in 2017 and consecutive years. Over the years of practice, she realized the need for promotion of breastfeeding and its role in the optimal development of craniofacial component. In 2017, she was certified at the Tongue Tie Institute, Australia. With an intense passion for Myofunctional therapy she became a member of IAOM in 2017. In 2019, she completed her Mini-Residency in Pediatric Sleep at Tufts University (BOSTON) and has been active in treating children with SDB (sleep-disordered breathing) and helped improve their sleep quality.

In 2020, she completed her Fellowship In Dental Sleep Medicine at Tufts University, Boston. She was a speaker at India’s first Airway conference organized by ICCMO, in 2020 to speak on Pediatric ariway and sleep. She is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine(AADSM), International Consortium of Oral Ankylofrenula Professionals (ICAP) and International College of Cranio-mandibular Orthopedics (ICCMO). Along with the other accolades she has received, she has been a prominent speaker at various network organizations to promote breastfeeding and holistic healthcare. In 2020, she founded a Non profit Organization called, The Tongue Foundation, to emphasize on the role of tongue in all stages of life and function.

She is active in creating awareness about breastfeeding, oral health disciplines to be followed for good health and pediatric sleep through blogs, talks, lectures and training to mothers, children and professionals.

 

Over a decade of conservative, non-invasive preventive practice with over 4050 children led her to see the need to create awareness on Pediatric sleep. In 2021 , She opened the state of the art India’s first preventive pediatric dental centre WE little at chennai. She became the countries first pediatric dentist to pass her boards in American Boards of Dental Sleep Medicine, She’s the founder of Institute of Craniofacial Myoloy and Pediatric Sleep , which is an exclusive body to train professionals in Myoline and Pediatric Sleep.