What is Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy, also known as orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT), is a structured program of exercises designed to retrain and strengthen the muscles of the face, mouth, and tongue. The goal is to improve the resting posture, mobility, and coordination of these muscles to support optimal breathing, swallowing, speech, and facial development. It addresses orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs)—patterns of abnormal muscle function that can affect how you breathe, chew, swallow, or speak.
Therapy involves targeted movements of the tongue, cheeks, lips, and jaw to restore proper muscle tone and function. It is safe, non-invasive, and increasingly recognized as an effective intervention for children and adults experiencing conditions like mouth breathing, tongue thrust, sleep-disordered breathing, or TMJ disorders. Myofunctional therapy is often used in conjunction with orthodontics, ENT care, or post-surgical rehabilitation to enhance outcomes and long-term results.
How It Helps
Myofunctional therapy offers a range of benefits by retraining the muscles of the mouth, face, and neck. It can improve breathing, sleep, speech, swallowing, and even reduce jaw pain and headaches. It also plays a role in preventing or improving orthodontic issues.
Benefits of Myofunctional Therapy
- Enhanced Speech: Strengthens oral muscles for clearer articulation and enunciation.
- Improved Swallowing: Supports proper swallowing patterns for better eating and digestion.
- Cosmetic Benefits: Encourages a more balanced and symmetrical facial appearance by correcting muscle imbalances.
- Other Potential Benefits: May enhance posture, digestion, and overall wellness according to some studies.
Conditions Treated with Myofunctional Therapy
- Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Therapy can reduce soft tissue obstruction in the airway, improving breathing and reducing snoring or apnea symptoms.
- Thumb Sucking and Oral Habits: Helps eliminate persistent childhood habits that can impact facial growth and dental alignment.
- Orthodontic Relapse: Maintains orthodontic results by reinforcing proper tongue posture and oral function.
- TMJ and Jaw Pain: Reduces strain on the temporomandibular joint by correcting oral muscle imbalances and tension patterns.
- Facial Development in Children: Supports optimal growth and development by promoting nasal breathing and balanced muscle use.
- Mouth Breathing: Myofunctional therapy can help individuals who struggle to breathe through their nose, even after nasal issues are addressed. Persistent mouth breathing may lead to sleep issues and impact overall wellness.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): By addressing muscle tone in the oral and facial region, therapy can reduce airway obstruction caused by soft tissues, improving airflow and sleep quality.
- Open Mouth Posture: Therapy encourages the lips to remain closed at rest and helps guide the tongue to rest against the palate—key factors in jaw and dental development.
- Tongue Thrust: Often found in children, this condition affects normal swallowing and speech. Myofunctional therapy can retrain the tongue for healthier patterns and support proper dental alignment.
- Bruxism (Teeth Clenching/Grinding): Chronic clenching or grinding can lead to headaches and damaged teeth. Therapy can help reduce these behaviors through improved oral muscle awareness and function.
- TMJ Disorders: For those experiencing discomfort in the temporomandibular joint, therapy may alleviate muscle tension and improve jaw mobility.
- Post-Jaw Surgery Recovery: Myofunctional exercises can support recovery by improving chewing function and restoring muscle coordination.
- Tongue Tie Surgery (Frenectomy) Recovery: Following release procedures, therapy helps improve tongue range of motion and promotes proper function during healing.