What is orofacial myofunctional therapy?
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is a series of exercises that teaches patients how to chew, swallow, and breathe correctly. It works on correcting bad habits that lead to poor muscle patterns — patterns that can affect total body health.
The exercises are designed to work in a hierarchy, starting simple and advancing forward as muscle tone and function increase — like physical therapy for the face, mouth, and airway.
The nose is the airway you want, day and night. Therapy re-establishes nasal breathing as the primary pattern.
A full tongue resting on the palate supports the airway, the bite, and facial growth — we retrain it there.
Lips together at rest, without strain. A strong, easy seal normalizes freeway space and quiets the mouth.
Swallowing with the back teeth together and chewing on both sides — the patterns your muscles were built for.
Jennifer Mashburn, RDH
Jennifer is a Myofunctional Therapist and Registered Dental Hygienist with nearly 17 years of clinical experience. Her journey into myofunctional therapy began with training through the Airway Circle, expanding her career to better support patients in achieving their functional, airway, and wellness goals.
Jennifer takes a patient-centered approach focused on education, compassion, and long-term success.
The right age is earlier than you think — and never too late.
Children as young as four benefit from an evaluation to catch causative factors — an airway obstruction or a tongue-tie — that need intervention early.
Age five is an ideal time to begin a program that helps eliminate harmful sucking habits before they shape the bite.
Children of seven to eight are strong candidates to begin a complete orofacial myofunctional therapy program.
Teens and adults of all ages achieve successful, long-term results — it is never too late to retrain the pattern.
The AOT process
Depending on your program, therapy runs 6 months or 1 year. Frenectomy (tongue-tie release) preparation is about 8 weeks.
See the full getting-started guide →
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Sessions happen over video (Zoom, Skype, or your preferred platform), so therapy fits your schedule wherever you live.
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