Core Symptoms - Myofunctional Disorders

 Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) are conditions that affect how the muscles of the mouth, tongue and face work together during everyday activities like breathing, chewing, swallowing and speaking. 

When these muscles do not function in a balanced way, it can lead to patterns such as mouth breathing, tongue thrust or incorrect tongue posture. 

Over time, these patterns may influence dental alignment, facial development and speech. With the right guidance and therapy, these muscle patterns can be retrained to support healthier breathing, oral function and overall wellbeing. 

Mouth breathing is considered a dysfunctional habit that impairs development and reduces sleep quality. 

There is a lot of research to support nasal breathing vs mouth breathing. The benefits of nasal breathing include air filtration and conditioning, nitric oxide production, enhanced oxygen absorption, cardiovascular health and mental wellbeing. 

See the research here

https://www.speareducation.com/resources/spear-digest/understanding-and-recognizing-mouth-breathing

and here 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20129889/

Exercises strengthen the upper airway muscles to prevent them from relaxing too much during sleep resulting in a lower Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index (AHI), decreased snoring intensity, reduced daytime sleepiness and improved oxygen saturation levels. 

See the research here https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013449.pub2/full

The targeted exercises of the tongue, lip and facial muscles promote a natural relaxed resting posture, reducing jaw tension and stress. In turn, muscle overactivity that leads to habitual grinding is decreased. Increased proprioception also allows individuals to consciously stop clenching. 

There is strong clinical evidence to support the effectiveness of orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) in this area. Research has demonstrated meaningful reductions in pain levels for individuals who consistently follow myofunctional therapy exercises, compared with those who rely on conventional methods alone. 

Studies suggest OMT can significantly reduce jaw pain by improving muscle balance and decreasing the strain on the temporomandibular joints (TMJ). 

See the research here

https://doi.org/10.1080/08869634.2019.1668996

Myofunctional therapy improves orthodontic stability by retraining the tongue, lips and cheek muscles to function correctly, eliminating improper pressures that cause teeth to relapse after treatment. Orthodontic relapse can lead to changes in how your teeth look and fit together. 

This may affect your bite and the appearance of your smile. Correcting orthodontic relapse requires additional time-consuming treatment and increased costs. 

See the research here

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11426762/

Myofunctional therapy exercises retrain the tongue to move upward and back during a swallow to eliminate tongue thrust. 

By strengthening the muscles of mastication and improving coordination, food is broken down more effectively aiding digestion. 

See the research here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbsjUljl0OA

Facial changes and soft tissue dysfunction can present as an ‘adenoid face’ characterised by an incompetent lip seal, narrow upper dental arch, an elongated lower third of the face and a recessed jaw . Also seen are droopy corners of the eyes, sleepy looking and corners of the mouth turned down. 

See the research here

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17804427/

Myofunctional Therapy retrains the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks and face to function in a balanced way. Because these muscles influence how the jaws and teeth develop, improving oral posture, nasal breathing, and swallowing patterns can help support healthier facial growth—especially during childhood while the face is still developing. 

By encouraging proper tongue posture against the palate and stable lip seal, myofunctional therapy can create functional conditions that guide the jaws and dental arches toward more optimal development and stability. 

See the research here

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10136844/

and here

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39346177/

Obstructive Sleep Disordered Breathing (oSDB) in children and hyperactivity, attention and focus challenges,

A study of 10,000 children with oSDB (which includes snoring, noisy breathing and mouth breathing) showed reduction in grey matter. 

The grey matter includes regions of the brain involved in muscle control and sensory perception such as sight, hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making and self-control. 

This explains why children with snoring issues may have problems with aggression, emotional regulation, ADHD and other behavioural and learning issues. 

See the research here

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33850154/