Myofunctional Therapy: is it new?

The short answer is no, it’s been around for a long time! I know when I first heard about it, I needed someone to slow down & repeat the word. Myo-functional-therapy. Let’s first break that down…

Orofacial = relating to the mouth and face

Myo = muscle 

Functional = having a special activity, purpose, or task; relating to the way in which something works or operates

Therapy = treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder

Makes much more sense when broken down like that. So let's jump back in history to learn when it first started.

The brief history of myofunctional therapy dates back to the 15th century in Italy. In 1906, American Orthodontist  (but Canadian born, Nova Scotia) Alfred Rodgers experimented with facial muscle exercises and, in 1918, wrote a paper titled “Living Orthodontic Appliances,” in which he cited that muscle function alone would correct malocclusion or shift the teeth. Alfred Rogers became the Father of myofunctional therapy in orthodontics. 

He was impressed by the benefits from the early supervised exercises done in the treatment of children. He started exploring the effect of musculature of the oral cavity on the structure of the mouth. Alfred devised a system of exercises that stimulated growth in the maxillofacial region.