Myofunctional Therapy¶

Myofunctional therapy (MFT) is a type of physical therapy program that is designed to improve the function and coordination of the muscles of the tongue, surrounding facial muscles and the soft palate. You may be surprised at how much our breathing affects our quality of life! MFT is often used to treat Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) related to:

• 🫁 Mouth Breathing
• 🍽️ Chewing and swallowing
• 🗣️ Speech
• 😴 Sleep disorders (like obstructive sleep apnea and UARS)
• 😁 Orthodontic problems (tongue thrusting, open bites, cross bites etc)
• 😬 Clenching/Grinding (also known as Bruxism, has to do more with airway obstruction while you are sleeping than with external stress like most people are led to believe)
• 😴 Snoring (caused by the tongue falling back into the airway)
• 🧠 ADD/ADHD Children who mouth breathe do not sleep well at night due to obstructed airways; this lack of sleep can adversely affect their growth and academic performance. Many of these children are misdiagnosed with ADD and hyperactivity¹.

🧩 What It Involves¶

At Goleta MyoWorks we use a program that typically involves 12-15 sessions. During these sessions you will learn 3-5 exercises that you will need to practice at home twice a day (active exercises will take 5-6 minutes), to retrain the tongue and surrounding facial muscles to function optimally. The exercises are painless and when we retrain certain muscles of the tongue and face, other muscles will follow suit until proper coordination and function is achieved. We will meet every other week to review the exercises and to go over new ones. The entire course of therapy will take between 6-9 months depending on your specific needs. Exercises that target:

• 😛 The tongue (positioning and strength)
• 😊 The lips and cheeks (to promote a proper lip seal and ensure nasal breathing)
• 🥤 Swallowing mechanics (to avoid orthodontic relapse and internal stress forces on the teeth)
• 👃 Breathing patterns (promoting nasal breathing)

The goal is to retrain the muscles to function properly, which can help prevent or correct structural issues and improve full body health and function.

✅ Who can benefit?¶

• 👵Children and adults ages 4+ (who have OMDs)
• 😮‍💨 Mouth breathers
• 🌙 People with sleep-disordered breathing or mild sleep apnea
• 🦷 Patients before, during, or after orthodontic work
• ✂️ Those with a mid tongue restriction tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) who may need release surgery
• 👨 Those who clench/grind and/or snore
• 👧 Those with oral habits such as Thumbsucking

👩‍⚕️ Who Provides It?¶

Myofunctional therapy is typically done by trained myofunctional therapists, who may be:

• 🗣️ Speech-language pathologists
• 🪥 Dental hygienists
• 🧑‍⚕️ Other health professionals with specialized training