Oral Habits
Breaking Oral Habits, Building Healthy Futures.
From thumb sucking and prolonged pacifier use to cheek or nail biting, oral habits can affect dental health, speech, and facial growth if they continue too long. At MyoLink, we provide gentle, supportive therapy to help children and adults replace these habits with healthier patterns that support long-term wellness.
What are Oral Habits?
Oral habits are repeated behaviors involving the mouth—such as thumb sucking, prolonged pacifier use, nail biting, or cheek biting—that extend beyond typical developmental stages. While common in early childhood, if these habits continue too long, they can affect dental alignment, speech development, facial growth, and overall oral health. Therapy helps gently guide children and adults toward breaking these habits and replacing them with healthier patterns.
Who Can Benefit from Therapy?
Our therapy is designed for children, teens, and even adults who struggle with oral habits that impact speech, dental health, or overall function. With gentle guidance, we help break harmful patterns and build healthier habits for lasting results.
Children: With prolonged thumb sucking or pacifier use affecting teeth and speech.
Teens: Struggling with nail biting, cheek biting, or clenching habits.
Adults: Managing stress-related oral habits or long-term behaviors.
Families: Seeking support to replace negative habits with healthier, lasting patterns.
THE BENEFITS
Correcting Mouth Breathing & Open Mouth Posture
Addressing oral habits early helps protect dental health, support speech, and prevent long-term challenges. Our therapy provides gentle, effective strategies to replace harmful habits with healthier patterns.
Improved
Growth
Encourage healthy facial and jaw development.
Lasting
Change
Build positive habits that support long-term wellness.
Healthier Smiles
Prevent misaligned teeth and orthodontic complications.
Clearer
Speech
Support proper tongue and mouth function for better communication.
WHAT TO EXPECT
From Evaluation to Transformation
Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, but we make the process simple, supportive, and effective. Here’s what you can expect every step of the way.
Evaluation
A detailed assessment of oral and facial function to understand your needs.
Personalized Plan
A customized treatment plan designed just for you or your child.
Collaboration
A team-approach ensures comprehensive care and addresses root cause
Therapy Sessions
Guided exercises, techniques, and ongoing support to build progress.
Lasting Results
Tools and strategies to create long-term success and healthier habits.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Your Questions, Answered
We know starting something new can bring up lots of questions. Here are answers to the most common ones about orofacial myofunctional therapy at MyoLink.
-
Oral habits include thumb sucking, prolonged pacifier use, nail biting, lip licking, cheek biting, and other repetitive behaviors involving the mouth.
-
When they continue past typical developmental stages, oral habits can affect dental alignment, speech development, facial growth, and overall oral health.
-
Most children naturally stop by age 2–3. If habits continue beyond this stage, it may be time to seek support to prevent long-term effects.
-
Yes. Myofunctional therapy uses gentle, age-appropriate strategies to reduce and eliminate oral habits while encouraging healthier alternatives.
-
Absolutely. We collaborate with dental and orthodontic providers to ensure a complete approach that supports both oral health and proper function.
Ready to Get Started?
Taking the first step toward better sleep, health, and wellness is simple. Schedule your consultation today and let MyoLink guide you with personalized care designed to create lasting change.