The way your mouth rests, breathes and moves affects far more than most people realise – speech, sleep, eating, facial development and dental alignment can all be connected to orofacial function.
The way your mouth rests, breathes and moves affects far more than most people realise – speech, sleep, eating, facial development and dental alignment can all be connected to orofacial function.
Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is a specialised programme of exercises and techniques that retrains the muscles of the face, mouth, lips and tongue. The goal is to establish correct resting posture, nasal breathing, and the right tongue position for eating, swallowing and speaking.
When these patterns are disrupted, through habits, structural differences, or simply how a person has always done things, it can have a knock-on effect on speech clarity, sleep quality, dental alignment and jaw development. OMT addresses the root cause, not just the symptoms.
What began as a single clinic has grown into two locations across Newcastle and Kurri Kurri, with a team of experienced speech pathologists who share Alison’s genuine commitment to the people they work with.
OMT may be relevant if you or your child experiences any of the following.
We make it easy to get started – no jargon, no pressure, just clear next steps.
We assess communication skills, access needs and functional goals to determine the right AAC solution.
We can arrange trials of high-tech devices so you can experience options before committing.
We write the reports needed to support NDIS assistive technology funding applications.
We train the AAC user, family members and support workers on using the system effectively in daily life.
Evidence-based therapy delivered in a way that works for each individual and their life.
We don’t just look at the tongue. We assess breathing, posture, oral habits, swallowing, speech and how everything connects, because function is rarely just one thing.
We provide pre- and post-frenectomy therapy to optimise outcomes from tongue tie release, working closely with the treating dental or medical professional.
OMT works through a structured sequence of exercises that build correct muscle patterns over time. Home practice is essential and we make it as simple as possible.
For younger children, exercises are made fun and game-like. For older children and adults, the programme is more structured. We adapt to the person in front of us.
OMT works best alongside your dentist, orthodontist, ENT, myofunctional dentist, or lactation consultant where relevant. We’re used to working as part of a team.
OMT is a growing and evolving field. We stay current with the research and use approaches that have the strongest available evidence base.
Standard speech therapy focuses on how sounds are produced. OMT focuses on the underlying muscle function and posture that can drive speech errors — and much more besides. They often complement each other, and we may provide both within the same programme.
Not always but often. A frontal lisp (where the tongue comes between the teeth on 's' and 'z' sounds) is frequently linked to tongue thrust or low tongue posture. A lateral lisp may involve different tongue movement patterns. Assessment will tell us what's driving it and whether OMT, speech therapy, or both is the right approach.
Pre- and post-release therapy is strongly recommended by most practitioners performing frenectomies. Without it, old muscle patterns can persist, or scar tissue can restrict movement. We work closely with the releasing professional to time therapy appropriately.
A typical OMT programme runs over 8 weekly sessions, with regular review and maintenance. Most of the work happens at home with short daily exercises. Commitment to home practice is the biggest factor in outcomes.
Everyone deserves to be heard,
and we’re here to help
Everyone deserves to be heard,
and we’re here to help
Everyone deserves to be heard.
Cooks Hill
1/95 Union Street
Cooks Hill NSW
Kurri Kurri
19 Victoria Street
Kurri Kurri NSW
