Proudly serving the heart of Missouri, we welcome patients from Ozark, Nixa, Springfield, Rogersville, and surrounding communities.
Breathing problems? Sleep issues? Teeth that keep shifting back?
These may not be separate problems. They often share a common root: the muscles that control how you breathe, swallow, and hold your tongue.
When those muscles develop dysfunctional patterns, the symptoms show up everywhere — in your sleep, your jaw, your child’s development, and your orthodontic results. Myofunctional therapy can help.
What is myofunctional therapy?
Myofunctional therapy is a structured exercise program that retrains the muscles that control how you breathe, swallow, and hold your tongue. It’s non-invasive, evidence-based, and available for both children and adults.
Qualified Therapists
Our therapists have specialized training in airway health, pediatric development, and sleep-disordered breathing.
Personalized Programs
Your program is built specifically for you, from your evaluation.
In-Office or Virtual
Attend sessions at our Ozark location or via virtual visit.
Coordinated Care
We communicate with your referring provider after every visit.
Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?
Myofunctional therapy addresses a wide range of symptoms that are often treated separately, but share a common muscular root cause. If you or your child experiences any of the following, a myofunctional evaluation might be the right next step.
In Children:
- Mouth breathing or sleeping with mouth open
- Snoring or restless sleep
- Tongue tie (before or after release)
- Speech delays or lisping
- Crowded or crooked teeth
- Bedwetting beyond typical age
- Difficulty focusing related to poor sleep quality
In Adults:
- Snoring or sleep apnea
- CPAP intolerance or difficulty staying compliant with PAP therapy
- Teeth shifting after braces (orthodontic relapse)
- Chronic jaw tension, clenching, or grinding
- Tongue tie symptoms
- Waking unrefreshed despite adequate sleep
How myofunctional therapy works
When the muscles controlling your mouth, tongue, and throat are working as they should, your airway stays open, your tongue usually rests on the roof of your mouth, and you’re breathing through your nose when at rest.
When they aren’t working as they should—due to tongue tie, early mouth breathing habits, or structural factors—the downstream effects start to accumulate.
Myofunctional therapy is physical therapy that targets those muscles through a structured series of exercises that rebuild proper tone, resting posture, and breathing patterns over time.
Why is nasal breathing the goal?
The nasal passages filter, warm, and humidify incoming air. They also produce nitric oxide, a molecule that improves oxygen delivery and supports immune function. Mouth breathing bypasses all of this. In children, chronic mouth breathing narrows the palate and crowds the teeth. In adults, it disrupts sleep and strains the airway. Myofunctional therapy addresses the muscular patterns at the root of mouth breathing, not just the symptom.
What do the exercises involve?
Myofunctional exercises are simple, targeted movements that strengthen and retrain the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks, and throat. Most patients practice daily at home for about 10–15 minutes per day, and have regular check-ins to assess progress and advance the program. Children’s programs are designed to be engaging and achievable. Adult programs are straightforward and easy to build into a daily routine.
What to expect in a myofunctional therapy program
Every patient begins with an evaluation and ends with a program built around their specific symptoms, age, and goals.
1. Initial Evaluation
A thorough assessment of your breathing patterns, tongue posture, swallowing function, and oral structure. We review your history, identify contributing factors, and determine whether myofunctional therapy is the right fit.
2. Your Personalized Program
Based on your evaluation, we build a customized exercise program and walk you through your first exercises before you leave. Daily home practice takes approximately 10–15 minutes.
3. Active Therapy — Months 1 through 3
Regular sessions every one to two weeks to advance the program, assess progress, and make adjustments. Sessions can be in-office or virtual.
4. Refinement & Completion — Months 3 through 6
As muscle patterns improve, sessions focus on reinforcing new habits. Most programs conclude within four to six months. We provide a clinical summary to your referring provider and a maintenance plan to protect your results long-term.
Meet our myofunctional therapists
Jenna
Jenna is a qualified myofunctional therapist with training from well known MyoMentor, serving children and adults throughout the Ozarks area. She focuses on airway health, post-frenectomy therapy, and sleep disordered breathing, using a comprehensive, patient-centered approach to support long-term functional outcomes. Jenna is passionate about helping patients improve breathing, oral function, and overall quality of life through individualized care.
Jenna believes every patient who walks in with a breathing problem deserves a provider who asks why — not just what.
Dr. Tracy Davis
Dr. Davis is dedicated to helping patients breathe, sleep, and live healthier through personalized airway-focused dental care. She is passionate about identifying underlying airway concerns that may impact sleep, overall health, growth, and quality of life. In alignment with the American Dental Association recommendation that dentists screen patients for possible airway-related issues, Dr. Davis believes comprehensive dental care extends far beyond teeth alone. She loves building lifelong relationships with patients and believes dentistry is a unique blend of science, health, and artistry. A top graduate of the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Dentistry and a Kois Center Graduate, Dr. Davis brings advanced training, clinical excellence, and a compassionate approach to every patient experience
Dr. Davis is committed to helping patients breathe better, sleep healthier, and feel their best through compassionate, personalized care built on trust and lasting relationships.
FAQ about myofunctional therapy
What exactly is myofunctional therapy?
If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. Myofunctional therapy is a program of targeted exercises that retrains the muscles of the mouth, tongue, and throat. These muscles control how you breathe, swallow, and hold your jaw at rest. When they function well, you breathe nasally, sleep soundly, and your teeth stay in alignment. When they don’t, the symptoms range from snoring and sleep apnea to crowded teeth and chronic jaw tension. The exercises are simple, practiced daily at home, and produce lasting changes over the course of the program.
How long does the program take?
Most programs run between four and six months, with daily home exercises of approximately 10–15 minutes. You’ll meet with your therapist every one to two weeks during the active phase, with sessions available in-office or virtually. Like physical therapy, results are proportional to consistency. Patients who practice daily see the fastest and most durable progress.
Does my child really need this, or will they grow out of it?
Some habits do resolve on their own. But, mouth breathing and tongue posture patterns that persist past early childhood tend to become structural. The palate narrows. The jaw develops differently. By the time crowded teeth appear, the window for the easiest intervention has already passed. A brief evaluation can tell you whether your child’s pattern is self-resolving or worth addressing now. Most parents who come in wish they’d come sooner.
Can adults benefit from myofunctional therapy?
Yes. Adult programs address snoring, sleep apnea, orthodontic relapse, CPAP intolerance, and jaw tension. A 2015 meta-analysis published in the journal Sleep found that myofunctional therapy reduced sleep apnea severity by approximately 50% in adults with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Muscles can be retrained at any age, it simply requires consistent practice.
My child had a tongue tie released. Do they still need therapy?
Almost always, yes. A frenectomy removes the physical restriction, but the muscles that compensated around it still carry their old habits. Without retraining, the tongue often defaults back to dysfunctional patterns even after the release. Myofunctional therapy teaches the tongue what to do with its new freedom and maximizes the outcome of the procedure.
Is myofunctional therapy covered by insurance?
Coverage varies by plan. Some medical insurance policies cover myofunctional therapy when it is associated with a diagnosis such as sleep-disordered breathing or tongue tie. Dental insurance rarely covers it. We can provide documentation to support any reimbursement claims you submit. Contact us before your first appointment and we’ll help you understand what may apply to your situation.
Do I need a referral to make an appointment?
No. You can book an evaluation directly. A free 15-minute call is also available if you’d like to talk through your situation first. Providers looking to refer a patient can contact us directly.
Can I do sessions virtually?
The initial evaluation needs to be in person, but after that, yes. Virtual sessions are fully effective for exercise review, progress check-ins, and program advancement. Many patients prefer the flexibility of virtual visits after their initial in-office evaluation.
Do I have to be a patient of Excel Dental?
No. Our myofunctional therapy program is a dedicated specialty division within Excel Dental, which means patients from any dental office are welcome. You don’t need to switch dentists to get the care you need. We handle the therapy and send you back to your regular provider with better outcomes and a written summary they can act on.
Information for providers
We accept referrals from dental offices, orthodontists, ENTs, pediatricians, speech therapists, and lactation consultants. Your patient stays your patient. We handle the myofunctional therapy and send them back with a clinical summary after every visit. We do not schedule referred patients for cleanings, exams, or any services outside of myofunctional therapy.
Common referral scenarios:
- Children with persistent mouth breathing or open-mouth resting posture
- Post-frenectomy patients who need muscle retraining after tongue tie release
- Orthodontic patients at risk of relapse, or post-treatment relapse
- Adults with mild-to-moderate sleep apnea or CPAP intolerance
- Patients with snoring, chronic jaw tension, or unexplained sleep disruption
Ready to get started?
Call (417) 581-3600
