Whole body myofunctional therapy-

Restoring function and creating stability in the facial muscles.

What is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy?

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is a specialized approach that focuses on identifying and treating improper patterns of muscle function and oral habits involving the tongue, lips, jaw, and facial muscles. These patterns—often referred to as Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs)—can impact breathing/ airway, speaking, chewing, swallowing, and even facial development over time.

Common signs of OMDs may include mouth breathing, tongue thrust during swallowing, low tongue posture at rest, and prolonged habits like thumb sucking or nail biting. These habits can stem from structural concerns, such as a tongue-tie (short lingual frenum), or from functional challenges like poor muscle coordination or airway restrictions.

Through a series of personalized exercises, myofunctional therapy helps retrain the muscles of the face and mouth to support healthy patterns of rest, movement, and function. Therapy can benefit people of all ages and often works best in collaboration with other healthcare providers for long-term, whole-body results.

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders

Orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs) are problems caused by improper muscle function and habits that develop over time. These issues can be caused by things like a blocked airway, harmful oral habits, or physical conditions such as a tongue tie or a narrow palate.
Myofunctional therapy can help if you have any of these symptoms:

  • Mouth breathing
  • Open mouth posture
  • Anterior tongue thrust
  • Bi lateral tongue thrust 
  • Tongue ties
  • Lip ties
  • Atypical Swallowing 
  • Habits- thumb sucking, nail biting
  • Chewing disorders
  • Facial muscles dysfunction 
  • Hypertonic masters
  • Speech misarticulating
  • Tonsils/adenoids
  • TMD
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Bruxism and clenching
  • Low tongue resting posture
  • Snoring 
  • Malocclusion
  • Cavities and gum disease 
  • Change in saliva
  • Restricted maxilla/ Narrow palate
  • Tongue scalloping
  • Cranial facial dysfunction 
  • Allergic shimmers/ venous pooling
  • Station tubes dysfunctions
  • Esthetic changes 
  • Fatigue 
  • Abnormal breathing
  • Tinnitus
  • Infant feeding problems
  • Problems focusing
  • Ortho relapse

Myofunctional Therapy

A myofunctional therapy program will guide patients through exercises to retrain the muscles and help them perform their functions more efficiently. Therapy is commonly used for issues like:

A key aspect of myofunctional therapy is teaching proper tongue posture. When the tongue rests on the roof of the mouth (instead of the bottom of the mouth), it helps promote nasal breathing.

People who breathe through their mouths often struggle with keeping their lips sealed at rest. Myofunctional therapy includes exercises that strengthen the muscles around the lips, encouraging them to stay closed while breathing.

One of the core focuses of myofunctional therapy is to retrain the muscles involved in swallowing. In normal swallowing, the tongue should press against the roof of the mouth, not the teeth.

Muscle imbalances often stem from poor habits or compensations (e.g., tongue thrusting, mouth breathing). Over time, the body “learns“ these habits and forms muscle memory. Myofunctional therapy retrains the muscles by encouraging proper movement patterns

In children, muscle imbalances can influence facial and jaw development, leading to problems such as narrow palates or improper bite alignment. Myofunctional therapy can help guide the development of the face and jaw by encouraging proper muscle use. For example, strengthening the tongue and jaw muscles in children can help create space for teeth and promote healthy growth patterns.

Myofunctional Therapy is for everyone

Early intervention is key and habit elimination programs can begin as early as 3 years old; however, OMT can still be effective for children (ages 5+), teenagers, adults and even seniors!

What services are offered?

  • Habit Elimination Programs (3+ year olds)
  • Mini-Myo Therapy (therapy designed for children ages 5+)
  • Pre/Post Frenectomy Therapy
  • Jaw Stabilization Therapy
  • Myofunctional Therapy (designed for young adults and adults)
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  • Myo in the Bow is located in Canmore, Alberta Canada

  • info@myointhebow.com

  • 403-493-2433

  • @myo_in_the_bow