Most people associate dental care with teeth and gums, but the muscles surrounding the mouth, the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw, play just as large a role in how a face develops and how well a mouth actually functions. Myofunctional therapy is built around that idea: that retraining these muscles to rest and move correctly can influence everything from breathing and speech to how well orthodontic treatment holds up over time. This guide explains what myofunctional therapy actually involves, why it applies to both children and adults, and when it’s worth discussing with a provider.
What Is Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy, sometimes called orofacial myofunctional therapy or OMT, is a form of neuromuscular training focused on the muscles of the mouth and face. According to the Cleveland Clinic, myofunctional therapy trains these muscles to move and rest the way they’re meant to, using targeted exercises for the cheeks, tongue, and lips that improve strength, coordination, and awareness of facial movement.
It’s used to treat what’s known as orofacial myofunctional disorders, abnormal muscle patterns that can affect how a person breathes, chews, swallows, or speaks. While the term sounds clinical, the underlying idea is fairly intuitive: muscles that rest or move in the wrong position over years can gradually reshape how the jaw, teeth, and airway develop.
Why the Tongue’s Resting Position Matters So Much
Of all the muscles involved, the tongue tends to have the biggest structural impact, largely because of how much time it spends at rest rather than in active use. In a properly functioning mouth, the tongue rests gently against the roof of the mouth, which helps guide healthy palate width and jaw development over time, particularly during childhood growth.
When the tongue instead rests low in the mouth, often due to mouth breathing, tongue-tie, or prolonged pacifier or thumb use, it can contribute to a narrower palate, crowded teeth, and even airway restriction.
This is one of the core reasons myofunctional orofacial therapy is frequently recommended alongside orthodontic treatment rather than as a completely separate service, since correcting tooth position without addressing the muscle habits behind it can allow the same problems to return over time.
Myofunctional Therapy for Kids: Why Early Habits Matter
Myofunctional therapy for kids focuses heavily on habits that are still actively shaping how the jaw and airway are developing. Thumb sucking, prolonged pacifier use, mouth breathing, and tongue thrust, where the tongue pushes forward against or between the teeth during swallowing, are among the most common patterns pediatric myofunctional therapy addresses.
Because a child’s facial bones are still growing, correcting these habits earlier tends to have a more meaningful long-term impact on jaw development than waiting until growth has largely finished. We’ve covered the specific warning signs parents should watch for in more detail in our guide on signs your child might need myofunctional therapy, and our broader beginner’s guide to myofunctional therapy for kids walks through what a typical course of pediatric treatment looks like from evaluation through completion.
Myofunctional Therapy for Adults: It’s Not Just a Childhood Treatment
While pediatric myofunctional therapy gets more attention, adults benefit from the same underlying principles, often for different reasons. Adults commonly pursue myofunctional therapy to address chronic mouth breathing, snoring, or temporomandibular joint discomfort, or as a supporting treatment alongside orthodontic work like clear aligners, since muscle habits that go uncorrected can contribute to teeth shifting back toward their original position after treatment ends.
Some adults are referred to myofunctional therapy after a sleep study identifies mild obstructive sleep apnea, since tongue posture and airway muscle tone can play a meaningful role in airway collapse during sleep.
It’s worth being clear here that myofunctional therapy is not a stand-alone treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea, and the National Institutes of Health notes that orofacial myofunctional therapy remains an active area of ongoing clinical research, meaning providers are still refining which specific techniques work best for which conditions.
What a Myofunctional Therapy Program Actually Involves
A typical myofunctional therapy program starts with an evaluation to identify which muscle patterns are contributing to a person’s symptoms, whether that’s tongue posture, breathing pattern, swallowing mechanics, or a combination of the three.
From there, treatment usually involves a structured set of exercises, often practiced daily at home between in-office sessions, designed to build strength and retrain default resting posture over time.
Full programs typically run several months, since retraining a habitual muscle pattern takes sustained repetition rather than a single correction. Providers often coordinate with other specialists during this process, including orthodontists, ENTs, and speech-language pathologists, particularly when airway concerns or speech issues are part of the picture.
How Myofunctional Therapy Connects to Orthodontic Treatment
One of the most common questions families ask is whether myofunctional therapy replaces the need for braces or other orthodontic treatment. In most cases, it doesn’t, but it can meaningfully improve the outcome of that treatment.
Addressing tongue posture and breathing habits before or during orthodontic treatment can support better jaw development and reduce the likelihood of teeth relapsing back toward their original position once braces or aligners come off.
Our orthodontic services page outlines how we coordinate myofunctional therapy alongside orthodontic care as part of a broader treatment plan, particularly for younger patients where early habit correction has the most influence on how the jaw develops.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between myofunctional therapy and speech therapy?
Speech therapy focuses specifically on sound production and language, while myofunctional therapy addresses the underlying muscle function and resting posture of the tongue, lips, and jaw. The two sometimes overlap, particularly for children with a lisp or unclear speech, since improving muscle function can support clearer speech production.
How long does myofunctional therapy typically take?
Most programs run several months, since the goal is to retrain a habitual resting posture rather than correct a single behavior, and lasting change generally requires consistent daily practice over an extended period rather than a quick fix.
Can adults benefit from myofunctional therapy as much as children?
Adults can see real benefits, particularly for symptoms like mouth breathing, snoring, or TMJ discomfort, though because facial bones have finished growing, the goals shift more toward muscle function and symptom relief rather than guiding jaw development the way pediatric treatment does.
Is myofunctional therapy painful?
No, myofunctional therapy is not painful. It involves gentle, targeted exercises similar in concept to physical therapy for other parts of the body, though some patients experience mild muscle fatigue after sessions as the tongue and facial muscles build strength.
Does insurance cover myofunctional therapy?
Coverage varies significantly by provider and plan, and myofunctional therapy is sometimes billed differently depending on whether it’s tied to a medical diagnosis like sleep apnea or provided as part of dental or orthodontic care, so it’s worth confirming coverage directly with your insurance provider before starting treatment.
Getting Started With Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy isn’t a replacement for orthodontic treatment or a quick fix for breathing issues, but for the right patient, whether that’s a child with early signs of tongue thrust or an adult managing chronic mouth breathing, it can meaningfully support long-term function and treatment outcomes.
If you’ve noticed signs like persistent mouth breathing, thumb sucking beyond the toddler years, or teeth that keep shifting after orthodontic treatment, it’s worth having a conversation with a provider who can evaluate whether myofunctional therapy is the right next step.
The team at Owl Dentistry works with both children and adults on myofunctional therapy as part of a broader, coordinated approach to dental and orthodontic care, and we’re happy to walk you through what an evaluation would involve for your specific situation.