MyoMinute with Chelcie: The New Palatal Expansion Study Every Parent Needs to Know

Palatal expansion is not enough.
And this study proves it — word for word.

"Integrating myofunctional therapy with RPE is significantly more effective than structural correction alone for restoring nasal breathing."

Read that again.

Not "helpful." Not "a nice add-on."

Significantly more effective.

Here's what that means for your kid.

Expansion widens the palate.

That's it. That's the whole job.

It doesn't retrain the tongue. It doesn't fix the mouth breathing habit. It doesn't touch the muscle pattern that's actually driving the problem.

And here's the part that gets me every time…

That muscle pattern? The low tongue, the open mouth, the mouth breathing?

That's usually what caused the narrow palate in the first place.
So if we widen the palate and never retrain the muscle, we're treating the result. Not the cause.

That's why relapse happens.

That's why some kids finish expansion and still aren't sleeping through the night. Still congested. Still mouth breathing.

If your child is about to start expansion — ask about pairing it with myofunctional therapy from day one. Not "if it doesn't work." Not later.

If they already have an expander — it is not too late to start now.

I built a free training that walks you through exactly what to ask and what to look for, before, during, and after expansion.

Comment BREATHE and I'll send it to you.

📚 Source: Buonanno E, Jubani J, Schirripa M, et al. Effect of myofunctional therapy associated with rapid palatal expansion on the restoration of nasal breathing in pediatric patients. Annali di Stomatologia. 2026;17(2):293-300.