What is Myofuntional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy is a specialized therapy that focuses on improving the function and coordination of the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks, and face. Through simple exercises and habit retraining, it helps promote proper breathing, tongue posture, swallowing, and oral rest posture. Myofunctional therapy can support healthy facial development, improve airway function, and complement treatments in dentistry, orthodontics, sleep medicine, and overall wellness.
What does it treat?
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) occur when the muscles of the face, mouth, and tongue do not function or rest in their ideal positions. These patterns can affect breathing, chewing, swallowing, speech, and proper jaw and facial development. OMDs can develop from habits, airway issues, or structural factors and often benefit from targeted myofunctional therapy to retrain healthy muscle function and oral posture.
Photo credit:https://tmjcentrent.com/2021/12/08/the-importance-of-myofunctional-therapy/
Common symptoms of untreated OMDs
• Frequent mouth breathing
• Difficulty breathing through the nose
• Lips resting apart at rest
• Snoring or restless sleep
• Daytime fatigue or poor sleep quality
• Tongue pushing against or between the teeth when swallowing
• Speech difficulties (such as lisps)
• Crowded teeth or orthodontic relapse
• Teeth grinding or clenching (bruxism)
• Dry mouth or bad breath
• Frequent headaches or jaw tension
• Difficulty chewing or messy eating in children
• Forward head posture
