Have you noticed your child’s lips barely touch at rest — or that if they do, it looks like they’re making a real effort to keep them together? That subtle gap may be a clue to something bigger: weak lip muscles. A recent study shows that targeted lip training exercises can significantly improve lip closure — in just four weeks. That muscle strength helps teeth stay straight and keeps the mouth from drifting open during rest.

The Problem: Weak Lips = Cascade of Challenges

The lips are more than just the frame around the smile. They form a natural seal that supports nose breathing, tongue posture, and proper chewing. When the lips can’t rest together comfortably, the mouth tends to stay open, the tongue drops, and breathing shifts away from the nose. Over time, that pattern can contribute to crooked teeth (because the tongue and lips aren’t giving the jaws consistent supportive forces), increased mouth breathing (which impacts airway health), and even weakened facial muscle tone.

What the Research Shows

In the 2016 trial published via Orthodontic Waves, 20 adults with lip incompetence (lips apart at rest) underwent a 4 week regimen of “hypoxic lip training”: daily high resistance contractions of the orbicularis oris muscle (the circular muscle around the mouth). The result? Significant improvements in lip sealing times — and maintained gains up to eight weeks post training.

Full text available here: https://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2115/67071/1/manuscript.pdf

In simple terms: when the lip muscles are trained with resistance, they become stronger and better able to maintain a natural seal.

Why This Matters for Growing Faces and Smiles

Stronger lip muscles aren’t just about appearance. When lips can stay sealed naturally: The tongue is more likely to rest on the roof of the mouth, supporting proper jaw and dental arch development The child is more likely to breathe through the nose, which supports airway health and facial growth The jaws and dental arches receive better muscular support, reducing crowding and instability In other words: strengthening the lips helps set up the foundation for a healthier smile, better facial growth, and improved posture.

What You Can Do: Combine Training + Resistance for the Best Results

1. Incorporate Simple Lip Strengthening Exercises

Encourage habits like “lips gently together while watching TV for five minutes” or “little lip squeezes” a few times a day. These build awareness of muscle use and gently train the lips to rest together.

2. Use Structured Resistance With Myofunctional Support

Here’s where Blossom Myofunctional Gum comes in. Because the gum is dense, it gives the lips something meaningful to resist against during chewing — teaching the muscles to work harder and maintain closure under load. Paired with our guided lip muscle exercises, that combo strengthens the orbicularis oris muscle and builds the habitual lip seal that research shows is so effective. Over time, this daily practice helps transform weak lip posture into strong lip support — and that supports better jaw growth, straighter teeth, and healthier breathing habits.

The Takeaway

Lip posture and muscle strength are often invisible to parents, but they’re critical to how a face grows and how a smile develops. The good news? Lip strength can be trained, and relatively quickly. By combining targeted exercises with resistance tools like Blossom, you’re helping your child build the muscular foundation they need for a strong, balanced facial structure and healthy airway.

Jordon Smith, DDS
“The more you know, the better they grow.”