What Is Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy is a structured, exercise-based approach that retrains the muscles of the mouth, tongue, lips, and face so they function the way they’re supposed to.
Through dynamic, targeted exercises and habit retraining, we improve how these muscles work together during breathing, swallowing, speaking, and at rest. When oral muscles are weak, overactive, or working in the wrong pattern, the body compensates—often showing up as mouth breathing, poor sleep, jaw tension, airway instability, and tightness through the face, neck, and shoulders.
Therapy focuses on:
- Strengthening and coordinating the tongue
- Improving lip seal and oral posture
- Supporting nasal breathing
- Reducing compensatory muscle tension
- Creating more stable, efficient airway function
what is myofunctional therapy used for?
Many adults come to myofunctional therapy after noticing something feels off with their breathing, sleep, or jaw — we cover the specific signs to watch for in this post. Myofunctional therapy is often used alongside treatment for sleep apnea as a non-surgical way to support long-term airway function. Because the tongue and facial muscles influence swallowing, speech, and rest posture, correcting how they work can have effects well beyond the mouth.
If you’re curious whether myofunctional therapy could help your specific symptoms, our Services & Packages page outlines what a personalized plan can include.
Myofunctional therapy has become a growing part of airway-focused care, and organizations like the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy offer additional research and resources for people who want to learn more about the evidence behind it.
