Mental health specialist

Myofunctional therapy

Myofunctional therapy deals with the incorrect position and dysfunction of the muscles of the face and mouth region in both children and adults, which can be caused by, for example, nasal breathing obstruction, incorrect oral habits, peculiarities of the dentition, etc.

Myofunctional disorders (e.g. continuous mouth breathing, wrong position of the tongue at rest, wrong swallowing pattern) can in turn cause dental anomalies, oral hygiene problems, changes in the facial skull, pronunciation problems, breathing problems, sleep disorders, disturbed posture, poorer wellbeing and decreased quality of life.

With what kind of problems should I turn to myofunctional therapy?

• Habitual mouth breathing or mixed breathing (in the latter case, breathing through both the nose and the mouth) while awake and/or asleep.
• The need to develop nasal breathing after removal of adenoids or tonsils.
• Improving the mobility of the tongue before and after surgical treatment of tongue-tie.
• Incorrect position of the tongue at rest (in the case of an incorrect habit, the tongue is placed at the bottom of the mouth or between the teeth).
• Wheezing or snoring while sleeping
• Sleep apnoea
• Incorrect swallowing pattern (with an incorrect swallowing pattern, the tongue is typically pushed towards the teeth while swallowing).
• Low tone of the muscles of the lips, tongue, chewing muscles and soft palate.
• Mobility disorders of the jaw joint.

The goals of myofunctional therapy are to remove bad habits related to the mouth area, to develop appropriate muscle functions, to achieve the correct position of the tongue and lips at rest, to improve the tone and mobility of the muscles of the mouth region and, if necessary, to correct the swallowing pattern.

At the first appointment with a myofunctional therapist, the patient’s history is collected, a myofunctional assessment is performed and the need for consultations with other specialists is determined.

The therapist then prepares an exercise plan, which the patient must perform regularly and precisely at home according to the therapist’s instructions.

The prerequisite for changing bad habits is the patient’s motivation, willingness to cooperate, commitment and consistency.

The duration of myofunctional therapy should be considered to be about a year, which is divided into:

• preparatory stage (removal of wrong habits) – 30 days;
• intensive practice period (formation of new habits) – 8 weeks;
• transferal of new habits to everyday life – 4 months;
• consolidation of new habits.

During the first two months, the recommended frequency of therapy is once a week, and thereafter once a month.

Marine Lillemets

Speech therapist

Tallinn