Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Care for the muscles that shape how you breathe, sleep, and eat.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is the assessment and retraining of the muscles in the face, mouth, and throat. It addresses how the tongue, lips, jaw, and airway work together, and how that function affects breathing, sleep, swallowing, posture, and overall nervous system health.
At Leto, OMT complements the chiropractic care families already receive from us. It's especially valuable for infants with feeding challenges, children with tongue ties or airway concerns, and adults dealing with TMJ pain, snoring, or sleep-disordered breathing.
What is OMT?
OMT addresses the function of the muscles in the face, mouth, and throat — how the tongue, lips, jaw, and airway are working, and how that function is affecting the rest of the body. Poor orofacial function can show up as mouth breathing, snoring, TMJ pain, swallowing difficulties, infant feeding challenges, and disrupted craniofacial development.
An OMT assessment covers oral structure and function, breathing patterns, sleep quality, posture, and how you chew and swallow. From there, your practitioner builds a treatment plan, gives targeted exercises to retrain the muscles, and refers to other providers when something falls outside their lane.
OMT works best when paired with manual therapy — chiropractic, bodywork, or orthodontics — and that's exactly why we brought it into the Leto clinic.
Who benefits from OMT?
OMT helps people across every age group. Erinn sees infants, children, and adults — and the focus shifts with each.
Infants: Feeding, latch, oral posture, postural stability while feeding, movement patterns, and feeding reflexes.
Children: Tongue ties, craniofacial growth, arch development, breathing patterns, and swallowing.
Adults: TMJ pain, snoring, upper airway resistance, sleep apnea, and orofacial myofunctional disorders.
Common reasons to start care
- Tongue or lip ties (TOTs)
- Infant feeding difficulties
- Mouth breathing
- Snoring or sleep apnea
- TMJ pain or jaw clicking
- Narrow or high palate
- Swallowing issues
- Pre- or post-orthodontic support
What to expect
OMT is a partnership. Results depend on doing the exercises at home, and most people see meaningful change within two to four weeks of starting care.
Initial Assessment
Erinn reviews your case history and assesses oral structure and function, breathing patterns, sleep quality, posture, and how you chew and swallow. By the end of the visit, you'll have a treatment plan and any referrals you need.
Follow-Up Sessions
Sessions focus on targeted exercises — oral, breathing, and sometimes movement-based — to retrain function. Most plans run 6 to 12 sessions, spread across 6 weeks to a year depending on the situation.
Home Exercises
Two short exercise sessions a day at home. This is where the real change happens. Erinn checks progress at each visit and adjusts the plan as your function shifts.
Erinn Sutherland
Erinn is Leto's in-house Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist. Her approach centres on function — how the orofacial complex affects the nervous system, breathing, and the whole body — and she works with infants, children, and adults.
Beyond OMT, Erinn brings training in holistic lactation and the Gillespie Approach (craniosacral fascial therapy), giving her a wider toolkit than a typical myofunctional therapist. She's especially skilled at reading the body and identifying how tethered oral tissues are affecting feeding, breathing, and development in infants.
- · Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist
- · Trained in the Gillespie Approach (Craniosacral Fascial Therapy)
- · Holistic Lactation Support
- · Infant, Child, and Adult Care
OMT at Leto
Good to know
How long does a course of care take?
Most people complete 6 to 12 sessions. Depending on the situation, that can be spread over 6 consecutive weeks or up to a year. Many people notice changes within the first 2 to 4 weeks.
What does it cost?
The initial assessment is $250. A typical course of care runs $510 to $1,200, depending on whether you need 6 or 12 sessions.
Will my insurance cover OMT?
Most insurance plans do not cover OMT directly, but Health Spending Accounts (HSAs) usually do. Paying out of pocket means you're getting specialized care for orofacial myofunctional disorders that most other professionals don't have comprehensive training in.
Are virtual visits available?
Yes. Follow-up visits for children and adults work well virtually. Infants and toddlers are best seen in person, and the initial assessment is best in person whenever possible.
How is OMT different from speech therapy?
Speech therapy focuses on speech and feeding. OMT focuses on the function of the orofacial complex and how it affects the whole body — breathing, sleep, posture, nervous system. The two can complement each other. Erinn refers to a speech-language pathologist when speech is the primary concern.
Who works alongside OMT?
OMT works best in combination with manual therapy. Erinn collaborates regularly with chiropractors (right here at Leto), orthodontists, osteopaths, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and acupuncturists. If you need a referral, she'll make it.
Book with Erinn today
If you're not sure whether OMT is right for you or your child, start with a consultation. We'll help you figure out the right path forward.