Oral function
Lip closure and tongue position
If the lips are frequently open at rest, the tongue position appears unusual, or the tongue presses against the teeth during swallowing, a functional assessment may be appropriate.
Functional approach · Berlin-Mitte
Dentosophie: consciously supporting oral function
Dentosophie focuses on lip closure, nasal breathing, resting tongue posture, chewing, and swallowing. F80 offers the method – with open guidance on its limitations, alternatives, and limited evidence.
- Practice
- Friedrichstraße 80
Berlin-Mitte - Open
- 7 days
Mon–Fri until 8 p.m. - Method
- Removable
not fixed - Appointment
- 030 436665501
Method
What Dentosophie is
Dentosophie is a function-oriented approach from France attributed to Michel Montaud. This account of its origin follows the description given by Dentosophie providers themselves; it is not a classification from a German medical guideline.
The focus is on everyday oral functions: relaxed lip closure, breathing through the nose, resting tongue posture, chewing, and swallowing. The approach uses flexible, removable devices and guidance for daily life. This is not fixed orthodontic braces.
Nasal breathing and resting tongue posture
The approach observes whether the lips close at rest, air can flow freely through the nose, and where the tongue rests between swallows. These observations alone do not constitute a treatment recommendation.
Particularly important: mouth breathing cannot simply be trained away. If nasal airflow is persistently restricted, the cause must first be assessed by an ENT specialist.
Flexible and removable
Balancer refers to elastomeric Dentosophie devices worn in the mouth. Providers regard them as supporting functional exercises. They are not fixed braces and do not automatically replace necessary orthodontic treatment.
The shape, use, and wear schedule must match the clinical findings. Simply providing a device does not establish that it will have an effect.
A separate device
Froggy Mouth is not a Balancer. The small thermoplastic device is worn between the lips and has been studied only for short daily exercise periods in atypical swallowing.
One small study used 15 minutes per day. This study protocol is neither a general wear schedule nor evidence that Dentosophie is effective as an overall method.
Suitability
When a consultation may be considered
Suitability is determined by the clinical findings, not by a single symptom. A Dentosophie consultation may be considered when oral functions appear unusual and necessary specialist or orthodontic assessment is not delayed.
Chewing and swallowing
Unusual movement patterns
In cases of atypical swallowing or one-sided habits, we assess whether an additional dental, orthodontic, or speech therapy evaluation is needed.
Children
Monitoring growth
For children, tooth transition, jaw development, participation, and the right time for an orthodontic assessment must be considered together. A device must not postpone necessary treatment.
Adults
Define goals narrowly
For adults, there is no convincing evidence that Dentosophie treats complex tooth alignment, CMD, sleep apnea, or postural problems. Any potential goal must therefore be functional, limited, and verifiable.
For mouth breathing, unobstructed nasal airflow takes priority over any training device. Allergies, enlarged adenoids, the nasal septum, and other causes should be assessed by an ENT specialist.
Guidance
Is Dentosophie right for you?
Dentosophie can only be meaningfully considered with a limited functional goal. These three questions indicate whether the approach should be discussed, whether an orthodontic assessment takes priority, or whether another clinical assessment is needed first.
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What is the main focus of your concern?
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What goal would you like to pursue?
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How do you feel about use and progress monitoring?
Dentosophie can be part of the discussion
If a specific oral function is to be observed and regular participation is possible, the approach can be considered. The goal must be narrow, functional, and verifiable. The device, guidance, and checkups belong together.
Before starting, we also define how progress will be assessed and when the approach will be changed or stopped.
Orthodontic assessment takes priority
A significant tooth or jaw misalignment first requires a standard orthodontic assessment. A Balancer does not replace necessary orthodontic treatment. Growth, tooth transition, bite, and treatment timing are specifically evaluated there.
Afterward, it can be discussed whether functional exercises are appropriate as a supplement without delaying established treatment.
First resolve the outstanding specialist question
Obstructed nasal breathing, jaw joint pain, suspected sleep apnea, or general symptoms should not be addressed through Dentosophie alone. The appropriate diagnostic assessment comes before the device. Depending on the question, this may involve ENT, functional diagnostics, sleep medicine, or another specialty.
Only after this assessment can it be determined whether an additional, limited functional goal at F80 is appropriate.
These questions do not replace an examination, diagnosis, or consultation. They only indicate which specialist question should be clarified first. Whether Dentosophie is appropriate in your case depends on the clinical findings.
Process
From clinical findings to a verifiable decision
Dentosophie is not simply the provision of a device without progress monitoring. Clinical findings, the goal, use, and stopping criteria belong together.
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Dental findings
We examine the teeth, tooth alignment, jaw development, lip closure, resting tongue posture, chewing, swallowing, and habits. Symptoms and previous treatments are part of the medical history.
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Refer unresolved questions
Restricted nasal breathing first requires an ENT assessment. Significant tooth or jaw misalignment requires an orthodontic assessment; speech and swallowing problems may require speech therapy or orofacial myofunctional therapy.
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Define the goal and alternatives
Before making a decision, we identify which function is to be observed, how a change would be recognized, and which established alternative is available. If the goal remains unclear, treatment with a device will not begin.
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Explain the device and its use
If the approach is appropriate, the intended removable device is fitted or selected. You receive specific instructions on use, hygiene, and daily routines. Balancer and Froggy Mouth have different purposes and ways of being worn.
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Participation and checkups
Regular use and checkup appointments are part of the concept. We assess function, tooth alignment, fit, and participation and document whether the agreed goal remains appropriate.
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Continue, change, or stop
If there is no discernible progress or another treatment becomes necessary, the plan is adjusted or stopped. Dentosophie must not delay orthodontic, ENT, sleep medicine, or CMD diagnostics.
What is the approximate duration?
The approach is considered in terms of months, not individual days. There is no uniform scientific standard. The small Froggy Mouth study ran for one year; individual plans may extend over several months and, with longer-term functional support, beyond that. This is an approximate time frame, not a commitment.
Dentosophie is not a Regelleistung (standard covered benefit) under the gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (German statutory health insurance). Before agreeing to privately paid services, you receive an individual treatment and cost plan.
Scope and limitations
What Dentosophie does not represent
Not a substitute for orthodontics
Pronounced tooth or jaw misalignment requires an orthodontic assessment. A Balancer cannot generally be used to avoid fixed braces or other established treatment.
Not a treatment for nasal obstruction
A device eliminates neither allergies nor anatomical narrowing. Mouth breathing is first assessed by an ENT specialist. Dentosophie does not treat sleep apnea and does not replace sleep medicine.
Not a substitute for CMD treatment
Jaw joint pain, restricted mouth opening, and bruxism require standard functional diagnostics. For this, see our page on CMD treatment in Berlin.
No cure for general symptoms
There is no reliable evidence that Dentosophie cures tinnitus, migraines, dizziness, or postural problems. Such symptoms should be assessed by the relevant specialty.
These limitations are not a sales obstacle. They are a prerequisite for an informed decision.
Evidence
Experience with Dentosophie does not replace studies
For Dentosophie as an overall method, high-quality randomized studies, independent long-term data, and guideline recommendations are lacking. A prospective, single-arm study examined Froggy Mouth in 16 children with atypical swallowing. Without a control group, the effect of the device cannot be reliably separated from growth and other influences.
Scribante et al., 2024 – Froggy Mouth study; Stefani et al., 2025 – Scoping review of orofacial myofunctional therapy. Einzelne Studienbeobachtungen sind keine Wirksamkeitszusage für Dentosophie und keine Prognose für ein bestimmtes Kind oder einen erwachsenen Menschen.
In the Froggy Mouth study, some measurements of the upper dental arch changed; overbite and horizontal incisor distance did not change significantly. The finding applies to this device, this small group, and this study protocol – not to the Balancer or Dentosophie as a whole.
The evidence for orofacial myofunctional therapy overall is also mixed. The review included 58 papers; only 19 percent were randomized studies, and none of the interventions examined reached the highest level of evidence. Indications of change therefore cannot be equated with established overall effectiveness.
At F80
Holistic questions assessed from a dental perspective
Dentist
Dr. Stefanie Schönmuth
Dr. Stefanie Schönmuth is a dentist specializing in aesthetics and endodontics and an expert in holistic dentistry. She studied at Charité and then worked in Amsterdam for five years. She provides treatment in German, English, and Dutch.
The same principle applies when assessing functional concerns: the dental findings come first. The method, alternatives, and limitations are then discussed together.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Dentosophie
What is Dentosophie?
Dentosophie is a function-oriented approach from France. It considers lip closure, nasal breathing, resting tongue posture, chewing, and swallowing and uses removable devices together with guidance for daily life.
Is a Dentosophie device a brace?
It is not fixed braces. However, a flexible, removable device does not automatically replace necessary orthodontic treatment. If there is a relevant misalignment, an orthodontic assessment is part of the plan.
Are Balancer and Froggy Mouth the same?
No. A Balancer is an elastomeric device worn in the mouth. Froggy Mouth is a separate small device worn between the lips and used differently. Studies of Froggy Mouth cannot be applied to the Balancer.
Is Dentosophie suitable for children and adults?
That depends on the clinical findings and the narrowly defined goal. The small Froggy Mouth study examined children aged five to twelve. For adults, convincing evidence for treating complex tooth alignment or general symptoms is lacking.
Can Dentosophie avoid the need for fixed braces?
This cannot be promised. In cases of pronounced tooth or jaw misalignment, standard orthodontic treatment must not be delayed. The orthodontic assessment determines which option is appropriate.
Does Dentosophie help with mouth breathing?
A device does not remove a nasal obstruction. In cases of mouth breathing, possible causes are first assessed by an ENT specialist. Functional habits can only be discussed once nasal breathing is unobstructed.
Does Dentosophie treat sleep apnea?
No. Dentosophie is not a substitute for sleep medicine diagnostics or recognized sleep apnea treatment. Sleep medicine is the appropriate specialty for snoring with pauses in breathing, pronounced daytime sleepiness, or corresponding suspicion.
Is Dentosophie a CMD treatment?
No. There is no reliable specific evidence for Dentosophie or Balancer as a CMD treatment. Jaw joint pain, locking, and bruxism are assessed with standard functional diagnostics.
Is the method scientifically proven?
For Dentosophie as an overall method, high-quality randomized studies and guideline recommendations are lacking. There is one small single-arm study of Froggy Mouth and mixed evidence on orofacial myofunctional therapy. This is not sufficient for general claims of effectiveness.
How long does treatment take, and is it covered by insurance?
A potential course is planned in months and reviewed regularly; there is no uniform standard. Dentosophie is not a Regelleistung (standard covered benefit) under the gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (German statutory health insurance). Before starting, you receive an individual treatment and cost plan.
Clarify first, then decide
Arrange a consultation at Friedrichstraße 80. We assess oral function, identify necessary evaluations, and explain openly whether Dentosophie, another treatment, or observation for the time being is appropriate.
Or call: 030 436665501