Written by Megan DeWalt of AdvancedMyofunctionalTherapy.com.

Myofunctional therapy is sometimes perceived as a mysterious form of tongue therapy.

Why on earth would you need therapy for the tongue?

Well, over the past decade or so, we have really started making the connection that the tongue is within the mouth, and the mouth is connected to our airway. We desperately need open airways to breathe, eat, and sleep effectively, essentially all the things that keep us alive. If the tongue is interfering with the airway, we’ve got a problem in all three areas.

Enter myofunctional therapy as a way to strengthen, tone, and teach the tongue where to rest within the oral cavity so it can essentially get out of the airway during breathing, eating, and sleeping! It all seems quite simple when we put it like this, why did it take us so long to make the connection?

Myofunctional Therapy is a specialty that focuses on the muscles of the face and mouth

If these muscles are working and functioning together properly, we have balanced craniofacial growth. Sufficient craniofacial growth results in a skeletal structure ideal for breathing and chewing. Insufficient growth patterns result in deficient skeletal structures, inclusive of narrow nasal passages, a collapsed airway to breathe through, teeth and jaws that don’t align, and thus, compensatory (forward) head, neck, and shoulder postures.

The muscles of the face and mouth are growing and functioning properly when:

1. We are breathing through the nose (not the mouth). The nose was built for breathing and the mouth for eating.

2. The lips are sealed comfortably at rest without strain to provide balance to the facial and chewing muscles.

3. The tongue is elevated into the roof of the mouth at rest so as to not interfere with the airway and provide support and guidance of the upper/lower jaws and teeth.

4. The swallow pattern is working for, not against, the skeletal structure without thrusting against the teeth. Compensatory movements of the tongue can result in shifting of the teeth and jaws.

If dysfunctional muscle patterns are present, symptoms will develop and typically increase in intensity over time.

Symptoms can include:

• Mouth breathing

• Obstructive sleep apnea

• Snoring

• Chronic nasal congestion

• Acid reflux/digestive issues

• Clenching/grinding

• Chronic neck tension

• Headaches

• Temporomandibular Joint pain (TMJ)

• Teeth shifting

• Choking or swallowing concerns

• A sucking habit

• Speech concerns

• Bedwetting

• Daytime fatigue or “wired but tired” kids

Once the dysfunction is corrected through myofunctional therapy, symptoms at the very least improve, and many times resolve! Some symptoms really start to improve almost immediately after beginning therapy, so trust is gained right away that you are on the correct path. At each patient’s final assessment, we look back on how they used to feel (i.e. poor quality sleep, low energy, grinding, jaw pain, neck pain, choking, etc.), compared to how they feel now and it is amazing to see the change!

For more information, visit Megan’s page HERE, or to book an appointment, visit her website at advancedmyofunctionaltherapy.com.