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The TORNADO protocol begins with a comprehensive neurofunctional assessment using the SWITCH test. Before any appliance is made, your clinician evaluates your swallowing pattern, tongue posture, jaw muscle tone, and your body's neuromuscular response to changes made inside your mouth. This gives us a precise picture of how your trigeminal nerve circuit is currently functioning and what kind of stimulation your nervous system needs.

RestOralase may be performed before or after the TORNADO device is inserted, depending on what your clinical findings indicate. When structural restriction in the floor of the mouth is limiting tongue movement or swallowing quality, RestOralase is performed first — releasing the fascial restriction so the tongue can engage the palatal surface of the device without compensating around a barrier that is still in place. When the primary need is neural circuit preparation and tissue desensitization rather than structural release, RestOralase may be performed after the TORNADO is inserted, calming the sensitized oral tissues and deepening the neurological response the device has already initiated. In some visits, RestOralase is used both before and after insertion to maximize the combined structural and neurological effect. Your clinician determines the sequence based on your SWITCH test findings at each appointment.

Every TORNADO device is custom-designed for the individual patient. The design, fit, and contact pattern of each appliance are determined by your SWITCH test findings — not by a standard template. A defining feature of the TORNADO design is its intentional stimulation of the tongue. The palatal contours of the appliance are shaped to actively engage the tongue, prompting it toward the palatal position and guiding the development of a more functional swallowing and breathing pattern with every use. Rather than simply holding the jaw in a fixed position, the TORNADO works with the tongue as the primary driver of neurological change — because it is the tongue contacting the palate, not the jaw position alone, that generates the trigeminal nerve signal the brainstem needs.

Some TORNADO devices are configured as dynamic appliances that actively support improvements in the trigeminal neural circuit over time, creating neurological change without producing orthodontic tooth movement. Others are designed primarily for retention and ongoing circuit support. The appropriate design is selected based on your presentation, your stage of treatment, and your therapeutic goals.

Wear time is equally individualized. Many patients wear the TORNADO during sleep to support the brainstem arousal circuit through the night. Others wear it during the day as well — or primarily during the day — when their goals include improvements in athletic performance, postural stability, or improved neurological function. The trigeminal nerve circuit supported by the TORNADO does not only govern sleep. It influences how the entire nervous system regulates itself, and patients often notice improvements in focus, endurance, balance, and stress resilience when the circuit is properly supported during waking hours as well.

Once the appliance is fitted, the SWITCH test confirms it is providing the right neurological signal — not just a comfortable fit, but an objectively verified activation of the brainstem circuit the device is designed to support. If the response is not optimal, the device is adjusted until it is.

Follow-up visits monitor your progress toward swallow conversion — the goal of developing a functional swallowing pattern strong enough to sustain your brainstem circuit without device support. Each visit includes a SWITCH test both with and without the appliance in place. Improvement in your unassisted response over time is the sign that your nervous system is learning to generate its own signal. When that response is consistently strong without the device, you have reached the goal the TORNADO was supporting all along.

For patients who do not fully convert, the TORNADO continues as long-term support — providing the brainstem with the signal it needs whenever it is worn, for as long as it is needed.