Many of the habits and patterns that signal an orofacial myofunctional disorder in children look, at first glance, like ordinary childhood behaviour. Breathing through the mouth. Snoring. Messy eating. Teeth that seem to be crowding despite no family history of it. Most parents notice these things but do not immediately connect them to a treatable muscle function issue.
At Willowgreen Dental in Saskatoon, our certified myofunctional therapists work with children and families from Willowgrove, Rosewood, Evergreen, and across northeast Saskatoon. This guide covers the five signs she and our dental team most commonly see when a child would benefit from a myofunctional assessment, and what Saskatoon parents should do when they spot them.
If you want the full clinical background on what orofacial myofunctional therapy is and how it works, visit our orofacial myofunctional therapy service page. This article focuses on recognition: helping you identify whether what you are seeing in your child is worth a conversation with our team.
Sign 1: Your Child Breathes Through Their Mouth, Especially During Sleep
The most visible and most important sign. The mouth is not designed to be the primary airway. When a child habitually breathes through the mouth rather than the nose, the muscles of the face and jaw adapt to an open-mouth resting posture over time. This is not a quirk or a phase. It is a pattern with measurable consequences.
What mouth breathing looks like in practice:
• Lips that are consistently parted when your child is relaxed, watching television, or asleep
• Dry, cracked lips that never quite heal
• Snoring, noisy breathing, or audible mouth breathing at night
• Waking up with a dry mouth or bad breath in the morning
• A tired, dull facial expression, even when the child is alert
Why it matters beyond comfort: nasal breathing filters, humidifies, and slows the air before it reaches the lungs. It also positions the tongue correctly against the palate, which provides structural support for proper jaw and facial bone development in growing children. Chronic mouth breathing removes all of these functions simultaneously.
The dental consequence: mouth-breathing children tend to develop narrower upper jaws, higher palatal vaults, and more severe tooth crowding than nose breathers. This often results in the need for orthodontic treatment that could have been partially avoided or reduced with earlier intervention.
Sign 2: You Can See Your Child’s Tongue When They Swallow
A healthy swallow is invisible. The tongue presses against the roof of the mouth (the palate), and the throat does the rest. In children with tongue thrust, the tongue pushes forward against the back of the front teeth or protrudes between the upper and lower teeth during every swallow.
Each person swallows between 500 and 1,000 times per day. If the tongue is pushing forward with every one of those swallows, it is applying consistent outward pressure on the front teeth for hours each day. No retainer can fully counteract that force.
Signs of tongue thrust to watch for:
• The tongue visibly moves forward or peeks between the teeth during eating or drinking
• The lips pucker or strain noticeably with each swallow
• Food or liquid tends to spill from the front of the mouth
• A gap between the upper and lower front teeth that was not there before (open bite)
• Speech sounds that should use the tip of the tongue, particularly s, z, t, d, n, and l, sound slightly wet or imprecise
The orthodontic consequence: tongue thrust is one of the leading causes of orthodontic relapse. Children who complete braces or aligner treatment without addressing tongue thrust frequently see their teeth shift back within months. Myofunctional therapy addresses this before or alongside orthodontic care.
Sign 3: Your Child Snores, Grinds Their Teeth, or Wakes Frequently at Night
Sleep-disordered breathing in children is significantly underdiagnosed, partly because snoring in children is often dismissed as normal or harmless. For some children, it is transient. For others, it indicates that the muscles of the tongue and throat are not maintaining a clear airway during sleep.
Signs to take seriously:
• Regular snoring, not occasional snoring during a cold
• Grinding or clenching teeth at night (your child may complain of jaw pain or a sore face in the morning, or you may hear it)
• Restless sleep, frequent position changes, or waking at night without an obvious cause
• Daytime tiredness despite apparently adequate sleep hours
• Difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, or behaviour patterns at school that teachers or parents attribute to attention problems
Research shows that myofunctional therapy reduces the apnea-hypopnea index by approximately 62 percent in children when used as part of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. For children with less severe sleep-disordered breathing, it can be a standalone intervention. For children with diagnosed sleep apnea, it works alongside medical management.
If your child’s sleep problems are significant or have been raised by their teacher, GP, or pediatrician, mention them to our team at your child’s next dental appointment. Early assessment is far easier than addressing established patterns later.
Sign 4: Your Child Still Sucks Their Thumb or Uses a Pacifier Past Age Three
Thumb sucking and pacifier use are normal in infants and toddlers. The concern begins when these habits persist beyond age three to four, because the constant pressure changes the shape of the developing dental arch. This is also a period of active facial bone growth, making it the stage when habits have the greatest structural impact.
What prolonged sucking habits do to the mouth:
• Push the upper front teeth forward and the lower front teeth backward, creating an open bite or overjet
• Narrow the upper arch by preventing the tongue from resting on the palate
• Reinforce low tongue posture and forward tongue thrust as compensatory patterns
• Contribute to the mouth-breathing pattern described in Sign 1
Myofunctional therapy helps break these habits by retraining the tongue and lip muscles so that the habits no longer serve a physiological function. Combined with the children’s dentistry care our team provides, early assessment can catch arch development concerns before they become structural problems requiring significant orthodontic correction.
If your child’s habit has already caused visible changes to their bite or tooth position, speak to one of our Saskatoon dentists at your next preventative care appointment. Early records allow us to monitor whether the changes self-correct once the habit stops.
Sign 5: Your Child Has Crowded Teeth or a Narrow Jaw With No Family History
This one surprises many parents. They see their child’s teeth crowding as the child grows and assume it is genetic because neither parent had braces. Genetics is a factor, but jaw development is also significantly influenced by muscle function.
The tongue is the internal scaffold that shapes the upper arch from the inside. When the resting posture is correct, the tongue sits against the palate, and the upper arch develops with appropriate width. When the tongue rests on the floor of the mouth, that scaffold is absent, and the cheek muscles push the arch inward. The result is a narrower jaw and less space for teeth as they erupt.
Signs that muscle function may be contributing to your child’s crowding:
• Crowded front teeth appearing earlier than expected in permanent dentition
• A narrow smile or an arch that appears pointed rather than rounded
• Crossbite, where the upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth on one or both sides
• One or more permanent teeth are erupting in unusual positions because there is not enough space
This is why we recommend that children’s dental appointments include assessment of resting tongue posture and breathing habits, not just a count of cavities. A myofunctional assessment at the right time can influence arch development while growth is still active, reducing the scope and complexity of orthodontic treatment later.
What Saskatoon Parents Should Do Next
If you recognized one or more of these signs in your child, the next step is straightforward: book an appointment at Willowgreen Dental and mention what you have noticed. You do not need a referral, and you do not need to have a diagnosis. Our team will assess your child’s resting tongue posture, breathing pattern, swallowing function, and lip seal as part of their care.
If a myofunctional assessment is indicated, our certified myofunctional therapy providers will conduct a full evaluation and explain exactly what they find. She works alongside Dr. Holly Dunlop, Dr. Kimberley Hunter, and Dr. Maxwell Miller, so your child’s care is coordinated across our whole team rather than handled in isolation.
For a full explanation of what orofacial myofunctional therapy involves, how the exercises work, and what outcomes to expect, visit our orofacial myofunctional therapy page.
Frequently Asked Questions from Saskatoon Parents
Q: My child’s GP said mouth breathing is fine as long as they are getting enough air. Should I still book an assessment?
A: Getting enough air and breathing optimally are not the same thing. GPs rarely assess orofacial muscle function as part of a standard consultation. A dental and myofunctional assessment looks at different things: arch development, tongue posture, swallowing pattern, and sleep quality. Both assessments have value. If you have noticed consistent mouth breathing, it is worth mentioning to our Saskatoon dental team at your child’s next appointment.
Q: My child had braces, and their teeth have already shifted back. Is it too late for myofunctional therapy?
A: No. Myofunctional therapy for orthodontic relapse is one of the most common adult referrals we see. It addresses the muscle patterns that are driving the shift. Visit our orofacial myofunctional therapy page or speak to one of our dentists about whether therapy alongside a retainer adjustment is the right approach for your situation.
Q: At what age should I bring my child in if I notice these signs?
A: Assessment can begin as early as age four. The most effective window for habit correction and arch development influence is roughly age five to twelve, while facial bones are still actively growing. That said, intervention at any age produces meaningful results. If you have noticed signs, do not wait to find out whether they will resolve on their own. Book a children’s dentistry appointment and share your observations with our team.
Q: Is myofunctional therapy covered under the Canadian Dental Care Plan or my insurance?
A: The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) does not currently cover myofunctional therapy. Some private extended health benefit plans include coverage for oral physiotherapy. Contact your insurer directly to confirm. Our team can provide documentation to support an insurance submission if needed.
Q: How do I book a myofunctional assessment at Willowgreen Dental?
A: Call us at (306) 955-2400 or use our contact page. No referral is required. Let us know you would like a myofunctional assessment for your child and we will book you with the right member of our team. We are at #104 – 1848 McOrmond Drive, Saskatoon, serving families from Willowgrove, Rosewood, Brighton, and across northeast Saskatoon.
For everything you need to know about the therapy itself, how it works, and what treatment looks like step by step, visit our orofacial myofunctional therapy service page.