Why does an occupational therapist care about oral function, airway, and facial development?

How Oral Function Can Influence Everyday Life

I’m dedicated to supporting function, comfort, and quality of life. Sleep and rest are essential occupations that influence how we think, learn, move, regulate emotions, and engage in the activities that matter most.

When sleep quality is disrupted—whether due to breathing difficulties, airway concerns, or oral function—it can affect nearly every aspect of daily life.

Oral function, breathing, and facial development are just one piece of a much larger picture. While they are not the cause of every challenge, they are often overlooked contributors to concerns such as attention, behavior, sensory processing, feeding, learning, energy, and overall function.

Understanding these connections helps individuals and families make informed decisions about their care.

Oral Function, Airway & Facial Development

  • A child’s face, jaws, and airway develop rapidly throughout infancy and childhood. The earliest years are especially important, with most facial growth occurring before adolescence. Healthy development depends on many factors working together, including genetics, muscle function, proper breathing, nutrition, and quality sleep.

    When normal growth is disrupted, it can affect how the face, jaws, and airway develop. One of the most common contributors to these changes is difficulty breathing through the nose and an open mouth posture. Identifying these concerns early can support healthier growth and development over time.

  • The way a child breathes plays an important role in their overall development. If the jaws, tongue, or surrounding muscles are not growing or functioning properly, it can influence breathing, sleeping, feeding, and even the way the teeth and facial bones develop.

    Advances in research and screening have greatly improved our understanding of the relationship between airway health, breathing, sleep quality, and oral development. Many children show structural, functional, or behavioral signs that may indicate an underlying airway concern, and some of these signs can be recognized very early in life.

    • Chronic Symptoms

    • Frequent ear infections

    • Persistent runny or stuffy nose

    • Chronic sinus congestion or sinus infections

    • Crowded, crooked, or misaligned teeth (malocclusion)

    • Sleep related symptoms

    • Open mouth breathing

    • Difficulty chewing or swallowing

    • Teeth grinding

    • Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep

    • Family history of sleep apnea

    • Restless sleep or frequently changing positions throughout the night

    • Sleeping with mouth open and head tilted back

    • Dark circles beneath the eyes (“allergic shiners”)

    • Difficulty waking in the morning or persistent morning fatigue

    • Falling asleep easily at school or during car rides

    • Night terrors

    • Difficulty focusing

    • ADHD-like behaviors

    • Hyperactivity

    • Self-regulation challenges

    • Bedwetting beyond the expected developmental age

    • Structural issues

    • Severe allergies

    • Oral habits such as thumb sucking, extended pacifier or bottle use

    • Genetics

When Further Evaluation Might Be Helpful

A Whole-Person Perspective

Everyday Matters is dedicated to supporting function, comfort, and quality of life through personalized care, education, and guidance that empowers individuals and families to make informed decisions aligned with their values and priorities.

Occupational therapy looks at how people participate in everyday life. When oral function is an important part of the picture, my OT background and additional training in myofunctional therapy help me recognize when factors such as breathing patterns, oral habits, or orofacial function may be contributing to challenges, and whether further assessment may be beneficial.

When identified as an important piece of a client’s needs, I collaborate with my colleague Natalie, a speech-language pathologist and myofunctional therapist. This collaboration brings together occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and myofunctional therapy perspectives to support a comprehensive approach to therapy.

Learn more about our myofunctional practice - MyoLink