Our Mission
At Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy of Southeastern Connecticut, our mission is to help children and adults better understand how breathing, oral function, and everyday habits influence overall health.
We believe many concerns that are often considered "normal," like mouth breathing, restless sleep, jaw tension, or difficulty swallowing, deserve a closer look. By helping patients understand how these patterns are connected, we can create personalized treatment plans that support healthier function and lasting change.
We are committed to providing compassionate, evidence-informed care in a supportive environment where patients and families feel heard, educated, and empowered throughout their journey.
Because the small things we do every day, like how we breathe, rest, chew, and swallow, can have a lasting impact on our health.
About Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy of SECT
What Is OMT?
What Is OMT?
What Is OMT?
Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is a specialized therapy that focuses on improving the way the muscles of the mouth, tongue, face, and airway work together. These muscles play an important role in everyday functions like breathing, chewing, swallowing, speaking, and sleeping.
When these muscles aren't functioning as they should, the
Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is a specialized therapy that focuses on improving the way the muscles of the mouth, tongue, face, and airway work together. These muscles play an important role in everyday functions like breathing, chewing, swallowing, speaking, and sleeping.
When these muscles aren't functioning as they should, the body often develops compensations that can contribute to concerns such as mouth breathing, oral habits, swallowing difficulties, jaw tension, restless sleep, and orthodontic relapse.
Myofunctional therapy uses personalized exercises, education, and habit retraining to help establish healthier, more efficient patterns that support long-term oral function.
Our approach is collaborative, evidence-informed, and rooted in the understanding that the body works as an interconnected system. Rather than focusing on symptoms alone, we look at the bigger picture to better understand the functional patterns that may be contributing to your concerns.
Because the way we breathe, rest, swallow, and function every day can have a lasting impact on our overall health.
Meet Crystal
What Is OMT?
What Is OMT?
I'm Crystal Sarrica, BS, RDH, OMT, the owner of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy of Southeastern Connecticut.
For more than 16 years, I've had the privilege of caring for patients as a Registered Dental Hygienist. Throughout my career, I began noticing that many concerns, like mouth breathing, jaw tension, orthodontic relapse, and disrupte
I'm Crystal Sarrica, BS, RDH, OMT, the owner of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy of Southeastern Connecticut.
For more than 16 years, I've had the privilege of caring for patients as a Registered Dental Hygienist. Throughout my career, I began noticing that many concerns, like mouth breathing, jaw tension, orthodontic relapse, and disrupted sleep, often seemed connected. I wanted to better understand why, which led me to pursue advanced training in orofacial myofunctional therapy through Airway Health Solutions.
Around that same time, my interest became personal. As I learned more about airway health and oral function, I started connecting dots I hadn't connected before, not only in my patients, but in my own family. It changed the way I looked at health, the questions I asked, and ultimately the kind of care I wanted to provide.
That experience reinforced something I continue to see every day: many concerns people accept as "normal" are often connected in ways they don't realize. I believe that understanding those patterns is the first step toward supporting healthier function and making informed decisions about care.
Today, I work with children and adults to improve breathing, oral function, and the everyday habits that support long-term health. My approach is calm, collaborative, and personalized. I take the time to listen, understand your concerns, and explain the "why" behind my recommendations so you feel informed and confident throughout the process.
When appropriate, I collaborate closely with dentists, orthodontists, ENTs, speech-language pathologists, physicians, and other healthcare providers because the best outcomes often come from working together.
Whether you're seeking answers for yourself or your child, my goal is to provide thoughtful guidance, individualized care, and a supportive environment where you feel heard every step of the way.
When I'm not in the office, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our two children.
Our services
What Is OMT?
Our services
Whether you're concerned about mouth breathing, restless sleep, jaw tension, swallowing difficulties, orthodontic relapse, or oral habits like thumb sucking, our therapy programs are designed to help improve the underlying patterns that influence everyday function.
At Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy of Southeastern Connecticut, we provide
Whether you're concerned about mouth breathing, restless sleep, jaw tension, swallowing difficulties, orthodontic relapse, or oral habits like thumb sucking, our therapy programs are designed to help improve the underlying patterns that influence everyday function.
At Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy of Southeastern Connecticut, we provide personalized therapy for children and adults, both in person and virtually. Every treatment plan is tailored to your unique needs, goals, and stage of care.
Our approach is holistic, recognizing that the body works as an interconnected system. Instead of focusing on symptoms alone, we look at the bigger picture to understand the underlying functional patterns that may be contributing to your concerns. This allows us to create an individualized treatment plan that supports healthier function and lasting change.
Whether therapy is being used alongside orthodontic treatment, before or after a tongue-tie release, or to improve breathing, oral function, and daily habits, our goal is always the same: to help create healthy, lasting patterns that support lifelong wellness.
Therapy May Help With
Depending on your needs, therapy may help you or your child with:
- Breathing comfortably through the nose.
- Keeping the lips gently closed at rest.
- Resting the tongue naturally against the roof of the mouth.
- Developing a comfortable and efficient swallow.
- Improving chewing and drinking habits.
- Reducing oral habits such as thumb sucking, nail biting, or prolonged pacifier use.
- Supporting healthy muscle patterns that promote long-term oral health and orthodontic stability.
If you've been wondering whether the concerns you've noticed are connected, or whether myofunctional therapy may be right for you or your child, our quick self- assessment is a simple place to begin. It can help you identify common signs of myofunctional disorders and determine whether a comprehensive evaluation may be the next best step.
