As a myofunctional therapist, I spend a lot of time educating clients and potential clients about myofunctional therapy and tongue exercises. Many people are unsure about what exactly myofunctional therapy is. Myofunctional therapy and tongue exercises certainly go hand in hand but this important therapy is more than just “tongue exercises”, or “tongue thrust therapy”.
(In addition to this article, an excellent article to read is the Ultimate Guide to Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy)
Myofunctional therapy is a step-by-step roadmap to wellness! Through the regimen of exercises, the muscle function of the cheeks, tongue, jaw, and neck will be improved. This therapy also focuses on several other areas of habit and behavior modifications to include:
- Correct oral resting posture
- Breathing
- Chewing
When I work with a client, I tell them that we are working on several things:
- Strength
- Coordination
- Control
- New neuromuscular connections
- Habit correction
What does myofunctional therapy mean?
Practitioner Sandy Holtzman defines MFT as “the study and treatment of oral and facial muscles as they relate to breathing, speech, dentition, chewing/bolus collection, swallowing and overall mental and physical health”. Furthermore, this therapy is an individualized program of static and dynamic strength and pattern retraining exercises of the tongue and orofacial muscles to correct maladaptive oral habits and help restore correct oral resting posture.
The muscles of the oropharynx include muscles that help us to eat, talk and breathe. When the oropharynx muscles are strong, they help keep the airway open, most importantly during sleep. When these muscles are weak, disruption of oxygen flow may occur leading to snoring or other sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) concerns such as obstructive sleep apnea. On top of that, if you have a weak, low-tone, floppy tongue it may relax back into the throat creating an obstruction as well.
Myofunctional therapy includes exercises that are meant to improve the strength of the muscles in the oropharynx.
What is a myofunctional disorder?
The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital defines this nicely: “An orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) is when there is abnormal lip, jaw, or tongue position at rest, swallowing or speech.”
Basically, an OMD is anything that prevents correct mouth and tongue posture, nasal breathing or correct deglutition (swallowing) from occurring.
One common congenital condition that causes concern is ankyloglossia or a tongue-tie. A tongue-tie occurs when the connective tissue under the tongue (lingual frenum) is unusually short, tight, or misplaced. This condition, over time, has major consequences. In many cases, a tongue-tie can be overlooked because the “free tongue” (the area from the frenum insertion on the tongue to the tip) appears to move freely. However, my biggest concern as a therapist is the back of the tongue. If the posterior portion of the tongue does not elevate properly, then a correct swallow cannot be achieved without compensation.
Regardless of whether the concern is anterior or posterior, myofunctional therapy is going to be an extremely important part of the treatment plan for a tongue-tie release or frenectomy. Pre-procedure myofunctional therapy prepares the muscles for a new range of motion and teaches them the correct movement.
How is myofunctional therapy used?
Myofunctional therapy is used as an important adjunctive therapy to help improve oral function and strengthen the weak muscles of the orofacial complex.
The great thing about myofunctional therapy is that it is non-invasive, has no risks or side-effects, so everyone with myofunctional impairment stands to benefit from this important therapy.
Many sleep doctors refer patients for myofunctional therapy to help improve breathing problems during sleep. In fact, I am receiving referrals from naturopathic doctors who want their patients, with mild to moderate sleep apnea, to complete myofunctional therapy before deciding on a long-term plan for sleep apnea treatment. In many cases, these clients are able to circumvent moving to a CPAP machine. Long term compliance with a CPAP machine is always a problem, so anything that helps a person avoid needing one is often a welcome method.
Many dentists and orthodontists refer patients for myofunctional therapy to help improve tongue thrust, or altered swallowing patterns, as well as incorrect, or low resting tongue posture.
What are the exercises?
As a myofunctional therapist, I think that having a step-by-step framework is super important. All clients have different needs but many of my exercises will be taught to everyone, for varying lengths of time. A step-by-step framework is important to have in place so that each of your myofunctional therapy sessions builds upon the session before. You can’t run before you walk or jog.
The tongue has 8 muscles which are responsible for tasks such as:
- Tongue placement
- Tongue shape
- Manipulation of food
- Placement of food
- Swallowing of the bolus
What are the correct resting tongue and mouth posture?
The correct resting position for the tongue is “tip to tail” in the roof of the mouth. The correct resting mouth posture is with teeth slightly apart, lips sealed and nasal breathing.
What is my first step?
Your first step to getting a really good grasp on what myofunctional therapy is and why you need it.
You can download our free assessment tool to start with. Then a free 30-minute assessment appointment will give you a chance to meet me, get your questions answered and see if it makes sense for you to pay for an exam. The last thing I want to happen is you pay for an exam, and me tell you that “you’re fine”! (That’s never happened, but I don’t want it to!)
About Carmen
Carmen found her path of passion years ago as a dental hygienist. After a stint in graduate school to earn her M.B.A., she left clinical hygiene practice to start her business, Integrative Myofunctional Therapy. In addition to seeing clients in her private online practice, she also teaches the craft of myofunctional therapy in her Myo Mastery Program, coaches dental offices on how to implement myofunctional screening into the daily practice, and speaks frequently in various settings.
Carmen is a provider for the Foundation of Airway Health, where she works diligently for the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of airway related disorders.
In addition, she is a proud member of several professional associations that afford her the opportunity to learn so that she can help her clients. Her professional memberships include:
Other great resources.
I am LIVE on Facebook most Wednesdays at 11:30 am Mountain time. I cover a huge range of topics!
I have the Tongue-Tie and Myofunctional Therapy Support Group on Facebook, which you are encouraged to join.
I have an extensive blog.
I’m growing a great YouTube channel.
I am very active on Instagram!
Are you a Facebook Fan of Integrative Myofunctional Therapy?
Sign up to down load my free assessment tool and check “yes” to get my weekly email about all things myo!
I teach a free class called: “Become a V.H.P: Your 6 Step Roadmap to Becoming a Vital Healthy Person By Understanding Your Myofunctional Impairment”. You can watch a replay here.