Creating Positive changes Through Better Breathing

Myofunctional therapy is a specialized therapy that improves how the muscles of the tongue, lips, and face work together. These muscles play an important role in breathing, swallowing, oral posture, jaw development, and sleep quality for both children and adults.

Because form follows function, the way these muscles work influences how the jaws grow, how we breathe, and how comfortably the jaw functions. When the tongue and surrounding muscles are not working optimally, the body may develop compensations that affect breathing patterns, jaw development, sleep quality, and overall comfort.

Children often come in because of concerns such as mouth breathing, restless sleep, a narrow palate, or speech challenges. Adults may seek therapy for issues like jaw tension or TMJ symptoms, clenching or grinding, sleep concerns, or orthodontic relapse. Myofunctional therapy uses targeted exercises and habit training to retrain these muscle patterns so they support healthier breathing, proper tongue posture, and more balanced muscle function. A myofunctional evaluation helps determine whether therapy may be beneficial and how it can fit into your or your child’s overall care.

Many parents first become concerned when they notice their child breathing through their mouth or having restless sleep. These patterns can sometimes indicate that the tongue and oral muscles are not functioning optimally, which may affect breathing, sleep quality, and jaw development over time.

Other signs that may suggest a child could benefit from a myofunctional evaluation include tongue tie, low tongue posture (when the tongue rests low in the mouth or against the teeth), open mouth posture, snoring, narrow palate or crowded teeth, speech concerns, or behavioral and attention challenges related to poor sleep. Some children may also have dark circles under the eyes or enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which can sometimes contribute to breathing difficulties during sleep.

Because every child is different, a comprehensive myofunctional evaluation helps identify the patterns that may be contributing to these concerns. During the evaluation, we assess breathing patterns, tongue posture, muscle function, and how the tongue and surrounding muscles work together to support healthy breathing, sleep, and oral development.

Children may breathe through their mouth for several different reasons. In some cases, it may be related to nasal obstruction, such as allergies, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or chronic congestion. In other cases, mouth breathing can develop as a habit when the tongue rests low in the mouth instead of supporting the palate. A tongue tie or restricted tongue mobility may also make it more difficult for the tongue to rest in the proper position, which can contribute to mouth breathing patterns.

Over time, mouth breathing can influence how the jaws develop, how well a child sleeps, and how the muscles of the face and mouth function. Some children who mouth breathe may also experience restless sleep, snoring, narrow palate development, or open mouth posture during the day.

Because mouth breathing can have multiple contributing factors, it’s important to look at the whole picture. During a myofunctional evaluation, we assess breathing patterns, tongue posture, oral muscle function, and other factors that may be influencing how your child breathes.

Sleep quality is closely connected to how a child breathes. Children who breathe through their mouth, have low tongue posture, or experience airway resistance during sleep may have restless or disrupted sleep. Some parents notice signs such as snoring, teeth grinding, frequent movement during the night, difficulty waking in the morning, or daytime behavior and attention challenges.

Myofunctional therapy focuses on improving tongue posture, breathing patterns, and muscle function so that the airway can function more efficiently during sleep. By retraining these muscle patterns and encouraging proper nasal breathing, therapy can help support healthier sleep habits and more restful breathing at night.

Because sleep concerns can have multiple contributing factors, a myofunctional evaluation helps identify patterns that may be affecting how a child breathes and sleeps.