Payment Options Now Available 💳

Airway-Focused Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

Supporting healthy breathing, oral function, tongue posture, and airway-focused care for children and adults

Our Approach

At Key Myofunctional Therapy, I take a personalized, hands-on approach to helping patients restore healthy oral function and balance. Therapy is grounded in four foundational pillars of myofunctional care:

nasal breathing, lip seal, proper tongue posture, and functional swallowing

These core functions support airway health, oral development, sleep, balance, and overall wellness.

My goal is to empower patients with the tools, education, and awareness needed to create lasting functional change.

— Crystal Butler, BSDH, OMT

What Is Myofunctional Therapy?

FUNCTIONAL PATTERN RE-EDUCATION

Myofunctional therapy is a personalized, exercise-based program designed to support healthy oral and facial function through the retraining and integration of:

breathing
tongue posture
lip seal
oral rest posture
functional swallowing patterns

Therapy focuses on improving the coordination and function of the muscles of the face, tongue, lips, and airway to support more efficient and sustainable movement patterns.

These foundational functions influence airway health, breathing, sleep quality, oral development, posture, speech, and overall well-being.

Who May Benefit From Myofunctional Therapy

Breathing & Sleep

Mouth breathing
Snoring
Poor sleep quality
Fatigue
Restless sleep

Oral Function

Breathing & Sleep

Tongue thrust
Difficulty chewing
Swallowing pattern concerns
Open mouth posture
Lip incompetence

TMJ & Muscle Tension

Facial & Oral Development

Jaw tension
Clenching
Facial muscle imbalance
Compensatory movement patterns
Forward head posture
Chronic neck tension

Facial & Oral Development

Low tongue posture
Malocclusion
Functional facial asymmetry

Airway Dentistry & Orthodontics

Palatal expansion
Oral development
Bite and airway considerations

ENT & Sleep Medicine

Airway Dentistry & Orthodontics

Nasal breathing concerns
Airway evaluation
Sleep-related breathing support

Physical Therapy & Musculoskeletal Care

Posture
Cervical tension
Movement coordination
Functional muscle patterns

Vision & Neurological Care

Physical Therapy & Musculoskeletal Care

Functional coordination
Visual-postural relationships
Oculo-vestibular considerations
Chronic headaches

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to some of the most common questions about myofunctional therapy, oral function, airway-focused care, and collaborative treatment approaches.

What is myofunctional therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is a personalized, exercise-based program designed to support healthy oral and facial function through the retraining and integration of breathing, tongue posture, lip seal, oral rest posture, and functional movement patterns.

Therapy focuses on improving the coordination and function of the muscles of the face, tongue, lips, and airway to help establish more efficient and sustainable patterns that support overall oral function and airway health.

What is myofunctional orthodontics?

Myofunctional therapy is often incorporated into collaborative care involving orthodontics and oral-facial development. Functional patterns such as breathing, tongue posture, oral rest posture, and oral-facial muscle coordination may influence oral function, oral development, and long-term treatment stability.

Some orthodontic providers use the term “myofunctional orthodontics” to describe an interdisciplinary approach that considers both structural development and functional oral-facial patterns as part of treatment planning.

Who can benefit from myofunctional therapy?

Children and adults experiencing concerns related to breathing, oral function, oral habits, tongue posture, sleep quality, oral rest posture, jaw tension, or functional movement patterns may benefit from myofunctional therapy.

Because breathing, posture, oral function, and development are interconnected, therapy is often incorporated into broader collaborative care approaches depending on individual needs.

What is oral rest posture?

Oral rest posture refers to the natural resting position of the tongue, lips, and jaw when not eating or speaking.

Ideally, the lips remain gently closed, the tongue rests against the palate, and breathing occurs through the nose. Healthy oral rest posture supports oral function, airway health, facial development, and overall muscle balance.

What is mouth breathing?

Mouth breathing occurs when breathing primarily takes place through the mouth instead of the nose.

Chronic oral breathing patterns may influence oral rest posture, sleep quality, oral-facial development, muscle balance, and overall oral function. Myofunctional therapy may help support healthy nasal breathing patterns as part of collaborative care when appropriate.

Can adults benefit from myofunctional therapy?

Yes. Myofunctional therapy may benefit both children and adults.

Adults often seek therapy for concerns related to breathing patterns, oral function, tongue posture, jaw tension, sleep quality, oral habits, or interdisciplinary airway-focused care.

What providers commonly collaborate with myofunctional therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is often incorporated into collaborative care involving providers such as airway dentists, orthodontists, ENTs, sleep medicine providers, physical therapists, chiropractors, speech therapists, vision specialists, and other integrative healthcare professionals depending on individual needs.

Can myofunctional therapy support CPAP use?

Myofunctional therapy does not replace CPAP or medical treatment for sleep-related breathing disorders. However, therapy may help support nasal breathing, oral rest posture, lip seal, and overall oral-facial function, which may improve comfort and adaptation for some individuals using prescribed CPAP therapy as part of collaborative care.

Is myofunctional therapy only for children?

No. While myofunctional therapy is commonly associated with pediatric oral development, adults may also benefit from therapy.

Why is myofunctional therapy recommended with palatal expansion?

Palatal expansion focuses on structural development, while myofunctional therapy focuses on functional patterns.

Because structure and function are interconnected, therapy may help support the development and integration of healthy breathing, tongue posture, oral rest posture, and oral-facial muscle function throughout treatment.

Does myofunctional therapy replace palatal expansion?

No. Myofunctional therapy and palatal expansion serve different purposes and may be used together as part of collaborative care depending on individual needs.

Palatal expansion addresses structural development, while myofunctional therapy focuses on functional oral and facial patterns such as breathing, tongue posture, lip seal, and muscle coordination.