How Oral Myofunctional Therapy Can Help Growing Children Breathe Better, Sleep Deeper, and Have Healthier Jaw Development
As parents, we all want to give our children the best start in life; with healthy habits, good sleep, and confident smiles. What many people don’t realise is that the way a child breathes, swallows, and rests their tongue can have a significant impact on their sleep quality, jaw development, and even their behaviour and learning.
At Be Well Dental, we often recommend Oral Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) as part of our early intervention approach, especially when there are signs that a child’s oral development or breathing patterns might not be working as they should.
What Is Oral Myofunctional Therapy?
Oral Myofunctional Therapy is a series of targeted exercises that help retrain the muscles of the face, mouth, and tongue. The goal is to build healthy oral habits, such as keeping the tongue resting gently against the roof of the mouth, breathing through the nose rather than the mouth, and using the correct swallowing pattern.
These habits play a vital role in guiding the growth of a child’s jaw and face. When the muscles of the mouth and face are working harmoniously, the jaws develop more fully, the teeth erupt with better alignment, and the airway remains open for easy, restful breathing.
Why Might a Child Need OMT?
Many children develop habits like thumb sucking, open-mouth breathing, or tongue thrusting without us even noticing. Over time, these patterns can affect the natural development of the face and jaws, leading to a narrow palate, crowded teeth, or a smaller airway.
Children who breathe through their mouths, especially during sleep, may snore, grind their teeth, or toss and turn throughout the night. This can lead to tiredness during the day, difficulty focusing at school, and behavioural issues that are often mistaken for attention difficulties.
By addressing these issues early with myofunctional therapy, we can help guide a child’s growth and support their overall well-being, often without the need for more invasive treatment down the track.
Sleep, Growth, and Learning
Quality sleep is critical for a child’s physical growth, brain development, emotional regulation, and immune function. If your child is waking frequently, snoring, or showing signs of restlessness, it could be due to an underlying breathing issue.
By helping children breathe more easily through their noses and developing a stable oral foundation, OMT can improve the quality of their sleep, leading to better energy, mood, and focus during the day.
Our Approach at Be Well Dental
At Be Well Dental, we incorporate Oral Myofunctional Therapy into our broader airway and jaw development services, such as Myobrace and Early Clear Aligner Treatment for kids.
We look at the whole child, how they breathe, how their face is growing, how they sleep, and we work in collaboration with other professionals when needed, including ENTs, sleep physicians, speech therapists, and body workers. Our approach is gentle, preventative, and focused on long-term health, not just short-term fixes.
Could My Child Benefit from OMT?
If you’ve noticed your child is mouth breathing, snoring, grinding their teeth, or struggling with crowded teeth or speech delays, it’s worth having an assessment.
The earlier we address these patterns, the easier it is to guide your child’s growth in the right direction.
If you’re curious about how OMT might help your child, we’d love to welcome you in for a consultation.
Have Questions?
Call our clinic on (07) 3846 2002 and have a chat to our team about OMT!