Your mouth and facial muscles play a bigger role in your health than many people realize. From breathing patterns to sleep quality and even facial development, muscle function in the mouth, tongue, and throat can influence overall well-being in both children and adults.
Myofunctional therapy—also known as orofacial myology—focuses on retraining the muscles of the face, tongue, and mouth to support healthier patterns of breathing, swallowing, and oral posture.
What Is Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy focuses on correcting improper muscle function and habits involving the tongue, lips, jaw, and facial muscles. These muscles control essential functions like swallowing, breathing, chewing, and speaking. When they don’t work correctly, it can lead to various health issues.
The therapy involves specific exercises and techniques designed to retrain these muscles to function properly. An orofacial myofunctional therapist (OMT) uses this therapy as a supportive tool to promote:
- Proper tongue and lip posture
- Healthier breathing patterns (encouraging nasal breathing)
- Improved swallowing habits
- Reduction of oral habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrusting
- Recovery support before and after tongue-tie release (frenectomy), when referred by a dentist or physician
What Can Myofunctional Therapy Help With?
Dental hygienists can support your oral health by helping identify and modify habits and patterns that may contribute to discomfort or dysfunction.
Myofunctional therapy may benefit patients experiencing:
- Mouth breathing
- Tongue thrust during swallowing
- Low tongue resting posture
- Difficulty with lip seal
- Thumb or finger sucking
- Discomfort following orthodontic treatment
- Pre- and post-frenectomy tongue function support (as referred)
- Repeated ortho
- Difficulty swallowing
If medical conditions such as sleep-disordered breathing, speech concerns, or TMJ dysfunction are suspected, we will refer you to the appropriate healthcare professional.
How Myofunctional Therapy Works
Myofunctional therapy uses a step-by-step approach to improve how the tongue, lips, and facial muscles work together. The process involves identifying areas of dysfunction and building healthier muscle habits over time.
Comprehensive Assessment
Treatment begins with a detailed assessment of your mouth, tongue, and facial muscles. The therapist examines oral structures, measures muscle function, and records photos or videos of movement patterns. This helps pinpoint habits like mouth breathing, tongue thrust, or swallowing issues that may affect daily comfort or long-term health.
Personalized Treatment Plan
Based on your assessment, a customized program is created to retrain muscles and improve function. Exercises target areas like tongue posture, lip seal, breathing mechanics, and swallowing coordination. Programs are adapted to individual needs and can support goals like improving facial development, reducing TMJ discomfort, or stabilizing orthodontic results.
Ongoing Support & Home Practice
Regular follow-up appointments allow for progress tracking and exercise adjustments. Daily at-home practice builds lasting muscle memory, helping you achieve better oral function and overall wellness.
Benefits of Myofunctional Therapy & Who It Can Help
Myofunctional therapy offers a variety of health benefits by improving the function of facial, tongue, and throat muscles. It can positively impact sleep, breathing, oral health, and overall comfort for both children and adults.
- Sleep and breathing: With therapy encouraging proper nasal breathing, patients may notice better oxygen flow, deeper rest, and more energy during the day.
- Speech and swallowing: Myofunctional exercises help coordinate the tongue and facial muscles, which can lead to clearer speech and more efficient swallowing. This can reduce speech difficulties and swallowing challenges in both children and adults.
- Healthier oral habits and dental health: Correct tongue posture and better swallowing patterns can help prevent harmful oral habits like thumb sucking or mouth breathing. Patients may also see improvements in dental alignment, healthier gums, and a reduced risk of cavities.
- Support for orthodontic treatment: For patients undergoing orthodontic care, myofunctional therapy can help improve treatment outcomes, stabilize results, and reduce the risk of relapse.
Take the Next Step Toward Improved Oral Function
If you or your child is experiencing challenges like mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, or persistent oral habits, myofunctional therapy may be a helpful part of your oral health plan.
Book a consultation at Floss Bosses in Edmonton to find out how our dental hygiene team can help support healthy oral function. If your needs fall outside the scope of dental hygiene care, we’re happy to work with or refer you to other trusted professionals.
