What Is Myofunctional Therapy?

You may hear this work referred to as myo, OMT, orofacial myofunctional therapy, or simply myofunctional therapy — and while the names vary, they all refer to the same evidence-informed approach. Myofunctional therapy is a specialized, evidence-informed therapy that focuses on how the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks, jaw, and face function at rest and during everyday activities like breathing, swallowing, chewing, speaking, and sleeping.

At its core, myofunctional therapy helps retrain incorrect muscle patterns that can contribute to problems such as:

• Mouth breathing
• Poor tongue posture
• Sleep-disordered breathing or sleep apnea
• TMJ pain or jaw dysfunction
• Orthodontic relapse
• Speech or feeding difficulties
• Narrow palates or airway development issues

While many people think of it as “mouth exercises,” that description misses the point. Myofunctional therapy is about restoring normal function — because form follows function.

Why Oral Function Matters More Than You Think

The mouth is not an isolated system.

How your tongue rests, how you breathe, and how your jaw moves directly influence:

• Airway size and stability
• Facial growth and jaw development (especially in children)
• Sleep quality and oxygen levels
• Neck posture and muscle tension
• Long-term dental and orthodontic outcomes

When function is off — even subtly — the body adapts. Those adaptations often show up later as symptoms we don’t immediately connect back to the mouth. That’s why simply treating symptoms (like teeth crowding, snoring, or jaw pain) without addressing function often leads to frustration or relapse.

Who Is Myofunctional Therapy For?

This is one of the most common questions — and the answer is broader than most people expect.

Myofunctional therapy is recommended for children who:

• Mouth breathe day or night
• Snore, sleep restlessly, or grind their teeth
• Have enlarged tonsils or adenoids with symptoms
• Experience bedwetting, attention issues, or chronic fatigue
• Have narrow palates, crowding, or early orthodontic concerns
• Struggle with feeding, chewing, or oral habits

Early intervention can play a powerful role in guiding healthy growth and airway development.

Myofunctional therapy can help adults who:

• Have obstructive sleep apnea or UARS
• Use CPAP or an oral appliance but still feel unwell
• Experience TMJ pain, jaw clicking, or facial tension
• Clench or grind their teeth
• Struggle with chronic mouth breathing or nasal congestion
• Have orthodontic relapse after braces

For adults, therapy focuses on restoring proper muscle coordination and airway support, often alongside dental or medical care.

Is Myofunctional Therapy Evidence-Based?

Yes — and the research is growing. Research over the past two decades has increasingly supported myofunctional therapy as a meaningful, evidence-informed approach for improving orofacial function and supporting airway health. While it is not a stand-alone cure for medical conditions, studies consistently show that it can improve function, enhance treatment outcomes, and reduce relapse when used appropriately as part of a comprehensive care plan.

One of the most researched areas is sleep-disordered breathing, including obstructive sleep apnea. Multiple studies demonstrate that myofunctional therapy can reduce the severity of sleep apnea, decrease snoring, and improve daytime sleepiness and overall sleep quality in both adults and children. These improvements are thought to occur because airway collapse during sleep is influenced not only by anatomy, but also by muscle tone, coordination, and neuromuscular control of the tongue and upper airway. When used alongside CPAP, oral appliances, or orthodontic expansion, myofunctional therapy has been shown to support airway stability and reduce airway collapsibility. Importantly, it does not replace medical treatment — it enhances it.

Research also supports myofunctional therapy’s role in improving nasal breathing and orofacial rest posture. Studies show improvements in habitual mouth breathing, lip seal, and tongue-to-palate rest posture following therapy. These changes are foundational. Nasal breathing with the tongue resting properly in the palate plays a critical role in airway health, facial development, sleep quality, and nervous system regulation. Without these foundational patterns, other interventions often struggle to hold.

Another well-documented area is orthodontic stability. Improper tongue posture, swallowing patterns, and muscle imbalance are widely recognized contributors to orthodontic relapse. Research suggests that myofunctional therapy can improve muscle balance around the teeth and jaws, support orthodontic expansion and alignment, and improve long-term stability after braces or aligners. In simple terms, if function is not addressed, teeth often move back — even after technically successful orthodontic treatment.

There is also growing research and clinical consensus supporting the use of myofunctional therapy before and after tongue-tie (tethered oral tissue) release. Therapy can improve tongue mobility and coordination prior to release, reduce compensatory movement patterns, and support proper healing afterward. This is critical because a surgical release alone does not automatically restore normal function. Muscles must be retrained to use their new range of motion effectively in order to see meaningful improvements in feeding, speech, breathing, and oral rest posture.

Emerging evidence and interdisciplinary collaboration also support the role of myofunctional therapy in improving surgical outcomes, including orthognathic (jaw) surgery. Surgery changes structure, but it does not automatically retrain neuromuscular function. Myofunctional therapy can help prepare muscles before surgery, support neuromuscular adaptation afterward, and improve how the body integrates new jaw positions into daily function.

For individuals with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, research supports addressing muscle function, posture, and oral habits as part of conservative management. While TMJ disorders are complex and multifactorial, myofunctional therapy may help reduce muscular tension around the jaw, improve coordination during chewing and swallowing, decrease clenching and grinding behaviors, and support overall joint comfort and stability. Again, it is not a cure-all — but it is a meaningful part of a comprehensive approach.

In children, early intervention with myofunctional therapy has been shown to support oral motor development, efficient chewing and swallowing, reduction of oral habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrust, and healthier facial and airway development patterns. These interventions are particularly impactful during growth windows, when function can influence long-term structure and airway health.

When used appropriately, orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is one of the most underutilized tools for addressing the functional root causes behind many airway, sleep, jaw, and developmental issues.

How We Approach Myofunctional Therapy at Functional Face™

At Functional Face™, we work with both children and adults using a comprehensive, airway-centered approach.

Your evaluation looks beyond symptoms and examines:

• Tongue posture and mobility
• Breathing patterns (day and night)
• Oral rest posture
• Swallowing and chewing function
• Jaw movement and muscle balance
• Sleep and airway risk factors

From there, we create a custom therapy plan designed to support long-term functional change — not just short-term improvement.

Considering Myofunctional Therapy? Here’s Your Next Step

If you’ve been told to “wait and see,”
If treatments haven’t fully worked,
Or if something just doesn’t feel right…

That’s often a sign that function hasn’t been fully addressed. The best place to start is with a comprehensive evaluation.

Schedule a myofunctional evaluation or consultation here . We can't wait to help you eat, breathe, sleep, and feel better.