What Happens at a Myofunctional Therapy Appointment?

Jun 8
4 min read

If you've been looking into myofunctional therapy in Oklahoma City — for your child, for yourself, or for both — you probably have one quiet question underneath all the research:

What actually happens when I show up?

That's a fair question. Myofunctional therapy isn't as well known as physical therapy or speech therapy, and most people have never seen the inside of a session. So here's exactly what to expect at OMT of Oklahoma, from your first call to the end of your program.

It starts with a free evaluation

Your first appointment is an evaluation — and at OMT of Oklahoma, it's complimentary for new patients.

This is not a sales call. It's a clinical assessment.

I look at how your tongue rests when your mouth is closed, how you swallow, how you breathe, and how your lips, jaw, and facial muscles are functioning together. For children, I also talk with the parent about what they're seeing at home — sleep, behavior, eating habits, and any history of tongue tie, speech therapy, or dental concerns.

The evaluation takes about an hour. By the end, I can tell you whether myofunctional therapy is a good fit, what your specific patterns are, and what a treatment plan would look like.

If it's not the right fit, I'll tell you that too.

What I'm actually looking at

Most patients are surprised by how much information a myofunctional evaluation covers.

Here's what I assess:

Tongue posture — where your tongue rests when your mouth is closed. It should rest fully on the roof of your mouth. Most people with mouth breathing, snoring, or orthodontic issues don't have this.

Lip seal — whether your lips close naturally at rest, without effort or strain.

Breathing pattern — nasal or mouth breathing, and whether there are signs of airway restriction.

Swallowing pattern — how your tongue moves when you swallow. Tongue thrust is more common than most people realize and has real consequences for dental alignment.

Facial muscle tone — whether the muscles around your mouth and jaw are functioning or compensating.

For children, I also look at tonsil and adenoid history, sleep quality, and any patterns a parent has noticed.

If you move forward, here's how the program works

The Breathe Better Program at OMT of Oklahoma is approximately 12 sessions. Sessions are typically every other week, which gives you time to practice the exercises between appointments.

Each session builds on the last. Early sessions focus on awareness — most patients have never paid attention to where their tongue sits or how they breathe. Later sessions layer in exercises that retrain the muscles to function correctly and hold those patterns independently.

Sessions run about 30 minutes.

You'll leave every appointment with a clear exercise plan — simple, specific, and doable in about five minutes twice a day. That daily practice is where the real change happens.

What the exercises actually look like

Myofunctional exercises are not complicated. They don't require equipment. You do them at home, at your own pace, on your own schedule.

They target the tongue, lips, and facial muscles — building strength, coordination, and new habits where old ones have been running on autopilot for years.

For children, I always walk the parent through the exercises too. When a parent does the exercises alongside their child, follow-through improves significantly — and parents often discover they have the same patterns their child does. If that happens, we can evaluate and treat them as well. Learn more about why I ask parents to participate: here

In person or virtual — both work

OMT of Oklahoma offers appointments in person at our Oklahoma City office and virtually throughout Oklahoma.

Virtual sessions work well for adults and for families who have already been through an in-person evaluation and are continuing their program remotely. If you're not sure which is right for you, we can talk through it.

What patients wish they'd known sooner

A few things that come up often:

"I didn't realize how long I'd been mouth breathing." Most adults who come in for evaluation have been mouth breathing for decades. They adapted so completely they stopped noticing. The evaluation is often the first time anyone has pointed it out.

"I didn't know this was connected to my dental problems." Mouth breathing [link to: Mouth Breathing in Adults and Children: Why it Matters] affects saliva flow, gum health, and dental alignment. Patients with frequent cavities, orthodontic relapse, or chronic dry mouth are often dealing with an underlying oral function issue nobody addressed.

"I wish I'd brought my kid in sooner." The earlier these patterns are identified, the easier they are to correct. Children's muscles and habits are more adaptable. If you've been wondering whether your child's snoring [link to: Sleep Apnea and Snoring], mouth breathing, or sleep issues are something to look into — they probably are.