A tongue retraining guide is useful when it helps you follow the instructions you have received. It cannot choose appropriate exercises for you. This page brings together an assessment outline, a practice sheet and questions to ask your professional. You can also download our eight-page PDF guide with fillable sheets.
Download the free PDF guide
Download the MyoForce guide (PDF, 8 pages)
The PDF includes clinical guidance, the roles of appliances and two fillable tracking sheets. You can read it, print it or complete its fields in a compatible PDF reader. Save your copy after filling it in.
Before the first session: what to note
Prepare concrete information explaining your request: when discomfort occurs, what you observe and the outcome you hope for. Describing “my tongue touches my teeth when I swallow” is more useful than a self-diagnosis found on social media.
- Reason for the assessment: resting posture, swallowing, support alongside orthodontics or another difficulty.
- Situations involved: eating, speaking, sleeping, working, resting.
- How long it has been happening: long-standing, recent or linked to an identifiable change.
- Current care: dentist, orthodontist, ENT specialist, sleep professional or rehabilitation professional.
- Appliances already used: name, purpose, instructions and any discomfort.
Bring the documents requested by the professional and the appliance instructions if you use one. Do not start a new protocol just to complete this sheet.
A sheet for each prescribed exercise
Copy one instruction per line. Ask the professional to check that your wording is correct.
| Item to complete | My instructions |
|---|---|
| Purpose of the movement | To complete during the session |
| Starting position and reference point | To complete during the session |
| Requested movement | To complete during the session |
| Repetitions, duration and frequency | According to my programme |
| Any equipment needed | Name and instructions for use |
| Mistake to avoid and stopping criterion | Ask for clarification |
| Date of the next review | To note |
This framework helps distinguish posture, mobility and resistance work. To understand the differences, read our guide to types of tongue exercises.
Simple tracking between appointments
After a home session, record only what will help at the review. You do not need to describe every movement or monitor your mouth all day.
| Date | Exercise completed | Difficulty or discomfort | Question for the session |
|---|---|---|---|
| … | … | … | … |
| … | … | … | … |
| … | … | … | … |
If an instruction causes pain, irritation or unusual discomfort, stop that exercise and have it checked. Do not modify an appliance yourself so that you can continue.
What a PDF cannot promise
A number of repetitions guarantees neither straight teeth nor a timeline for results. Studies of retraining alongside orthodontics are heterogeneous, and reviews call for better-quality trials. Homem et al., 2014
The results of a small paediatric trial do not become a universal method for adults. Similarly, exercise programmes studied for sleep do not prove that a commercial appliance works. Pilot trial in children ; Cochrane review on sleep apnoea.
Keep individualised instructions at the centre of your care. To find out whom to show this sheet to, see the physiotherapy or speech and language therapy pathway.
Print or save this guide
- Open your browser's print function.
- Choose your printer or “Save as PDF”.
- Check the preview and select the pages containing the tables.
- Complete the boxes with your professional, then keep a dated version of your instructions.
You can read this page without providing an email address. It supports follow-up and is not a prescribed exercise programme.
Sources and method
- Homem et al., 2014. Systematic review of myofunctional therapy in orthodontics.
- Van Dyck et al., 2016. Pilot trial in 22 children with anterior open bite.
- Rueda et al., Cochrane, 2020. Oropharyngeal exercises and obstructive sleep apnoea.
Written by: Dr Vladimir Khourda, a dentist who no longer practises. Informational content updated on 1 October 2026 using the references cited. It does not replace an individual assessment.