Orofacial myofunctional therapy focuses on retraining the muscles of the face, tongue, lips, and airway so they function optimally.
These impact oral health, facial development,
speech, and sleep.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is commonly used to address:
- Tongue thrust (pushing the tongue forward when swallowing)
- Mouth breathing
- Thumb sucking
- Speech issues (like a lisp)
- Snoring and mild sleep-disordered breathing
- Teeth grinding (bruxism)
- Orthodontic relapse (teeth shifting back after braces)
- Poor tongue posture (tongue sitting low instead of on the palate)
What does it treat?
It uses simple, targeted exercises to retrain muscle patterns, similar to
physiotherapy—but for the mouth and face.
These exercises help patients learn to:
● Rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth
● Breathe through the nose
● Swallow correctly (without pushing on teeth)
● Improve lip seal and facial muscle tone
