Myofunctional therapy is a personalized exercise-based treatment that retrains the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks, jaw, and face to work together properly.
These muscles play an important role in breathing, sleeping, chewing, swallowing, speech, jaw stability, and facial development. When they are not functioning correctly, unhealthy patterns can develop and contribute to symptoms in both children and adults.
What is myofunctional therapy?
Supporting Better Breathing, Sleep, and Oral Function
The Four Foundations of Healthy Oral Function
Breathe
Healthy nasal breathing supports better sleep, oxygen exchange, and airway function. Therapy helps reduce habitual open-mouth breathing and encourages comfortable breathing through the nose.
Rest
At rest, the tongue should sit gently against the roof of the mouth, the lips should remain closed, and the jaw should feel relaxed. Proper resting posture supports the airway, dental alignment, and facial development.
Chew and Swallow
The tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw must coordinate during eating and swallowing. Therapy helps improve chewing, reduce tongue thrust, and create a more efficient swallowing pattern.
Function
The goal is to create healthy muscle patterns that become natural and sustainable. Improved function may support better sleep, jaw comfort, speech, breathing, and long-term orthodontic stability.