What Is Myofunctional Therapy? (And Why Your Child's SLP Might Recommend It)

If your child's speech therapist, orthodontist, or dentist has recommended "myofunctional therapy" — and you're wondering what on earth that means — you're not alone. The term sounds technical, but the concept is straightforward, and the results can be significant.

This guide explains what myofunctional therapy is, which conditions it treats, who performs it, and how daily home practice (the part that determines most of the outcome) actually works.

What Is Myofunctional Therapy?

Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is a structured program of exercises designed to retrain the muscles of the tongue, lips, and face — collectively called the "orofacial complex." The goal is to correct muscle patterns that have developed incorrectly and replace them with healthy, functional ones.

Think of it like physical therapy — but for the mouth. Just as a physiotherapist helps you retrain your knee after an injury, a myofunctional therapist helps children (and adults) retrain the muscles responsible for breathing, swallowing, chewing, and speech.

The therapy works through repetition. New muscle patterns are built through hundreds of correct repetitions, performed daily over weeks and months, until the correct pattern becomes automatic — just like learning to ride a bike.

What Conditions Does Myofunctional Therapy Treat?

Myofunctional therapy addresses a wide range of conditions that all share a root cause: incorrect oral muscle function.

Tongue Thrust (Reverse Swallow)

The tongue pushes forward against or between the teeth when swallowing or at rest, instead of pressing against the roof of the mouth. Can cause lisps, open bite, and prolonged orthodontic treatment.

Mouth Breathing

Breathing through the mouth instead of the nose at rest. Can cause dental arch narrowing, sleep-disordered breathing, facial development changes, and poor sleep quality.

Lisps and Articulation Errors

Especially lateral and interdental lisps (the /s/, /z/, and /th/ sounds). Often a direct result of incorrect tongue positioning during speech.

Tongue Tie (Ankyloglossia)

When the frenulum (the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is too tight or too short, restricting tongue movement. Myofunctional therapy is used both before and after frenectomy surgery to maximize outcomes.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Low tongue tone and incorrect rest posture can contribute to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea in children. Myofunctional therapy is increasingly used as an adjunct treatment.

TMJ and Jaw Issues

Incorrect muscle function around the jaw can contribute to pain, clicking, and limited mobility. Jaw muscle exercises address the root cause.

Who Performs Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is performed by:

• Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) — Many SLPs specialize in orofacial myology or include myofunctional exercises in their practice
• Certified Orofacial Myologists (COMs) — Specialists who have completed advanced training specifically in orofacial myofunctional therapy
• Myofunctional therapists — Practitioners (often dental hygienists or SLPs) who have completed myofunctional therapy certification programs
• Orthodontists and dentists — Often refer patients for myofunctional therapy and may perform basic exercises as part of treatment

What Does a Myofunctional Therapy Session Look Like?

The first session is typically an assessment: the therapist evaluates tongue range of motion, resting posture (where is the tongue when the mouth is at rest?), lip seal, nasal breathing, swallowing pattern, and facial muscle tone.

Subsequent sessions involve learning and practicing specific exercises. Sessions typically last 30–45 minutes, once or twice per week. But here's the critical part: home practice 2–3 times per day is what actually drives results. The in-clinic sessions teach and correct; the daily home practice builds the muscle memory.

How Long Does Myofunctional Therapy Take?

Most children see meaningful improvement in 6–12 months of consistent practice. The timeline depends on the severity of the pattern, the child's age (younger children typically adapt faster), consistency of home practice, and whether there are complicating factors like tongue tie.

The most powerful predictor of success is not which exercises are assigned — it's how consistently the child practices at home. This is why compliance tools and gamification matter so much in pediatric myofunctional therapy.

Can My Child Do Exercises at Home?

Absolutely — and they should. In-clinic sessions teach the technique, but home practice is where the habit is built. Most therapists assign 5–15 minutes of exercises per day.

The challenge is making that daily practice happen. Children are busy, distracted, and don't naturally find tongue exercises engaging. This is exactly the problem Grimasso was built to solve.

How Grimasso Supports Myofunctional Therapy at Home

Grimasso is a free iOS app that turns myofunctional therapy exercises into a game. The five exercise categories — Tongue Tip, Tongue Strength, Tongue Control, Swallowing, and Jaw Muscles — directly mirror what SLPs and myofunctional therapists prescribe.

Children practice with a lovable animated frog, earn badges and streak rewards, and use the built-in mirror camera to watch themselves practice in real time. Parents get a PIN-protected dashboard showing exactly which exercises were completed and when.

The result: children who previously needed daily reminders start asking to practice on their own. And therapists can use the parent dashboard as a simple compliance check at each session.

Grimasso doesn't replace in-person therapy — it makes the at-home part work. Think of it as the daily homework your therapist assigns, packaged in a way your child actually wants to open.