Myofunctional therapy is a series of targeted exercises that retrain the muscles of the face, mouth, and tongue to support proper oral rest posture, nasal breathing, and swallowing patterns. Rather than just managing symptoms, it addresses the underlying muscle habits driving many airway and orofacial issues.

What are the four goals of myofunctional therapy?

1. Nasal breathing at rest and during sleep

2. A consistent lip seal

3. The tongue resting on the palate (not against the teeth or on the floor of the mouth)

4. A correct chewing and swallowing pattern

An airway disorder is any condition that restricts or disrupts normal breathing, often linked to poor oral-motor coordination, tongue posture, or nasal obstruction. Left unaddressed, these patterns can affect sleep, feeding, speech, and overall development in both children and adults.

What are the symptoms of an airway disorder? Common symptoms of an airway disorder include mouth breathing, chronic nasal congestion, an open-mouth resting posture, trouble chewing or swallowing, speech articulation delays, teeth grinding, and daytime fatigue or difficulty focusing. Many of these symptoms are subtle and easy to overlook without a trained eye.

I see patients for consultations starting at age two and up. If your child shows symptoms like mouth breathing, snoring, clenching or grinding, crowded dental arches, dental decay, tonsil and adenoid obstruction, recurrent ear infections, bedwetting, or trouble with mood and nervous system regulation, I'd love to take a look. Feel free to book a free consultation through my website — I'm happy to walk you through what I'm seeing and give you my recommendations, or point you toward the right referral if needed.

Snoring is often driven by restricted airflow from weak oral muscle tone, poor tongue posture, or mouth breathing. When I retrain the tongue and oral muscles to support an open, nasal airway, I typically see the tissue collapse and turbulence that cause snoring start to ease up.

This is honestly the biggest thing I focus on with my patients. Nasal breathing filters, warms, and humidifies the air, supports healthy oxygen and CO2 exchange, and helps regulate the nervous system. Chronic mouth breathing does the opposite — I see it linked to poor sleep, altered facial growth, and wider health impacts, which is why restoring nasal breathing is where I start.

What is diaphragmatic breathing, and why is it important? Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, fully engages the diaphragm to draw air deep into the lungs instead of shallow chest breathing. I pair it with nasal breathing because together they support more efficient oxygen exchange, take stress off the body, and lay the foundation for everything else we work on.

My programs typically run about two to six months, depending on the individual's needs, how consistent we are with home exercises, and the specific goals we're working toward.

I've built a lineup of programs to meet kids — and adults — right where they are:

• Myo Roots Mini (ages 2–4): focused on habit elimination along with proper tongue posture and nasal breathing. This course integrates one of my favorite products, the Myo Munchee!

• Myo Roots (ages 4–6): habit elimination, integrated with the Myo Munchee + REMplenish straw. This course focuses on traditional myofunctional therapy that is customized along the way to treat your child’s unique symptoms.

• Myo Growth (ages 7–12): traditional myofunctional therapy focusing on function, breathing, sleep, and growth.

• Myo Core (ages 12 through adulthood): traditional myofunctional therapy for older kids and adults to improve function, breathing, sleep, and more!

• Sleep Wellbeing Course: integrates a sleep wellness monitor, breathwork, science-backed breathing exercises, and the foundations of myofunctional therapy to help improve sleep. This course is a hybrid course that offers self-paced video lessons along with personalized sessions with me.

Every program includes access to my online portal, where you'll find demo videos and a myofunctional therapy kit to support your progress at home.

I'm a Board Certified Orofacial Myologist through the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), and I'm also a Myo Munchee Certified Practitioner. My background as a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) gives me a strong foundation in oral health that carries into everything I do. I've been practicing as a myofunctional therapist for 5 years, and I bring all of that experience into every consultation and myo session.

Myofunctional therapy isn't typically covered by insurance, but FSA and HSA funds can be used toward services. Flexible payment plans are also available to help make care accessible, along with family-centered discounts.