Myofunctional Therapy: The Muscle Side of Dentistry

Introduction: Muscles Make the Smile

When most people think of dentistry, they think of teeth — hard, static structures.But the truth is, your smile is shaped far more by the muscles around those teeth than by the enamel itself.

The way you breathe, swallow, and rest your tongue affects not only how your face looks but how it functions.At Amore Dentistry, we say:🌬 “Teeth move with muscle memory — not metal memory.”

That’s where myofunctional therapy comes in. It’s a system of gentle exercises that retrains the tongue, lips, and facial muscles to work in harmony — creating long-term stability for orthodontic, TMJ, and airway treatments.

This isn’t cosmetic. It’s functional medicine for the mouth.

What Is Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is like physical therapy for your face.It’s a series of targeted exercises that correct improper habits and restore ideal oral function.

In children, it guides facial growth and airway development.In adults, it helps reverse patterns of tension, clenching, and collapse that often cause TMJ pain, snoring, and sleep-disordered breathing.

The four pillars of orofacial balance are:

1. Lips sealed at rest

2. Tongue resting on the palate

3. Nasal breathing

4. Correct swallow pattern

When any of these is off — even slightly — it can lead to a chain of imbalances affecting posture, airway, and dental stability.

The Muscle–Airway Connection

Breathing is the foundation of oral health.When you breathe through your nose, your tongue naturally rests on the roof of your mouth, supporting proper arch development and keeping the airway open.

But when you breathe through your mouth — from allergies, congestion, or habit — your tongue drops, your mouth opens, and the facial muscles compensate.Over time, this can cause:

• Narrowed dental arches

• Overbite or open bite

• TMJ tension

• Forward head posture

• Sleep-disordered breathing

The airway, posture, and bite form one continuous system.That’s why we can’t treat teeth without addressing the muscles that guide them.

At Amore Dentistry, we use myofunctional therapy to reestablish natural muscle tone — not to fight the body, but to remind it how to function effortlessly.

Common Myofunctional Disorders

Myofunctional dysfunctions often begin in childhood and go unnoticed into adulthood. Some common signs include:

1. Tongue thrust: The tongue pushes forward when swallowing, affecting bite alignment.

2. Open-mouth posture: The mouth hangs open at rest, leading to dry mouth and airway strain.

3. Mouth breathing: Reduces oxygen levels, weakens muscles, and affects sleep quality.

4. Bruxism (clenching or grinding): Often a compensatory response to airway obstruction or muscle tension.

5. Speech difficulties: Certain sounds (“s,” “l,” “t”) depend on tongue placement, which affects muscle coordination.

Each of these patterns reflects muscle imbalance — not simply “bad habits.”

Through retraining, we can restore balance at any age.

How Myofunctional Therapy Works

Myofunctional therapy isn’t about force — it’s about awareness.

Each session is personalized and focuses on retraining the foundational movements of the mouth: breathing, resting posture, swallowing, and speaking.

At Amore Dentistry, therapy often includes:

1. Breathing Re-educationTeaching nasal breathing using diaphragmatic exercises, tape training, or gentle posture adjustments.

2. Tongue Posture TrainingLearning to rest the entire tongue on the palate (not just the tip), which promotes jaw stability and airway openness.

3. Lip Seal and StrengtheningBuilding endurance in the orbicularis oris muscles to maintain a closed-mouth posture naturally.

4. Swallow RepatterningPracticing smooth, coordinated swallowing without facial strain or tongue thrust.

5. Integration with Body AlignmentBecause posture affects breathing, we also collaborate with physical therapists, craniosacral therapists, or chiropractors when needed.

The goal is to make function effortless again — to restore what the body was designed to do all along.

Why It Matters in Holistic Dentistry

In traditional orthodontics, teeth are often moved mechanically without retraining the muscles that moved them there in the first place.That’s why relapse (teeth shifting back) is so common.

In holistic, airway-centered care, we do it differently.

We understand that the muscles are the long-term retainers.When they function correctly, the bones, bite, and posture remain stable for life.

Myofunctional therapy also reduces:

• TMJ strain and muscle fatigue

• Clenching and grinding

• Snoring and mild sleep apnea

• Orthodontic relapse

• Facial asymmetry and premature aging

It’s the missing link between structure and function — between dentistry and whole-body health.

Integrating Myofunctional Therapy at Amore Dentistry

Our Amore Approach blends myofunctional therapy with every other aspect of biologic care.

After airway or orthodontic assessment, we may prescribe therapy before, during, or after treatment to maximize stability and healing.

For surgical patients (such as tongue-tie releases or expansion cases), therapy is essential.It helps integrate new patterns and prevent scar-related restrictions.

For TMJ and pain patients, therapy relieves strain by rebalancing muscle tone and retraining the nervous system.

For children, it guides growth from the inside out — no braces required in many cases.

We’ve seen children stop mouth breathing, adults sleep deeper, and entire faces transform — not from force, but from flow.

The Science Behind Myofunctional Therapy

Clinical studies continue to validate what we observe daily:

• Myofunctional therapy can reduce obstructive sleep apnea severity by up to 50% in adults and 62% in children (Guimarães et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2009).

• Orofacial exercises improve muscle tone, tongue strength, and nasal airflow (de Felício et al., Sleep Breath, 2018).

• Long-term orthodontic stability increases when muscle balance is addressed (Villa et al., Eur J Paediatr Dent, 2017).

• TMJ symptoms often decrease when swallowing and posture patterns are corrected.

The muscles truly are the architects of alignment.

Patient Story: Breathing Freely Again

A young adult came to me struggling with jaw pain, clenching, and fatigue. Her bite looked fine, but her tongue posture and breathing patterns were not.

Through eight weeks of myofunctional therapy, nasal breathing retraining, and postural awareness, she experienced something profound:

“I didn’t realize I was holding my tongue wrong my whole life — now I can breathe without thinking.”

Her TMJ pain disappeared, her energy improved, and her sleep became restorative.

That’s the transformation that happens when the muscles are invited back into harmony.

At-Home Myofunctional Habits

🧘‍♀️ Check your lips.Keep them closed gently throughout the day.

👅 Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth.The tip should sit behind the upper front teeth — the rest should lift up like a hammock.

🌬 Breathe through your nose.If congested, explore saline rinses, allergy care, or Buteyko breathing techniques.

💧 Stay hydrated.Muscles and fascia need moisture for proper tone and coordination.

💋 Smile consciously.Facial expression and emotional relaxation are connected — soft smiles train soft muscles.

Key Takeaways

The mouth is a muscle system — not just a set of teeth. Nasal breathing and tongue posture shape the face and airway. Myofunctional therapy restores balance, stability, and relaxation. Proper function creates natural beauty — no force required. Healing begins when muscles and breath move in harmony.

Conclusion: Muscles Remember What We Teach Them

The human body is intelligent — it adapts to every signal we send.For many patients, dysfunction isn’t from damage; it’s from disuse.

Myofunctional therapy teaches the mouth to remember its original design: closed lips, strong tongue, open airway, relaxed face.

At Amore Dentistry, we use these gentle, evidence-based exercises to align not just teeth, but the entire being behind the smile.

Because when the muscles are balanced, everything else — breathing, posture, confidence — follows naturally.

The smile isn’t made by enamel — it’s made by energy in motion.

References

1. de Felício CM, et al. “Orofacial myofunctional therapy in obstructive sleep apnea.” Sleep Breath. 2018. PubMed

2. Guimarães KC, et al. “Effects of oropharyngeal exercises in patients with OSA.” Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009. PubMed

3. Villa MP, et al. “Myofunctional therapy effects on children’s airway and orthodontic stability.” Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2017. PubMed

4. IAOMT Position Paper. “Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders in Airway Dentistry.” IAOMT, 2021.

5. Huang Y, et al. “Tongue posture and muscle tone in orthodontic relapse prevention.” Angle Orthod. 2020. PubMed