Training · Overview
How to traincorrectly.
A few minutes, three times a day. Here you can see at a glance how the training is structured, what matters in every repetition and which exercise comes next.
Quick start
Four steps to the pattern
You don’t have to learn everything at once. The training builds up week by week.
1 · Starting position
Sit upright, insert the FaceFormer, tongue in its place. You learn this once, at your own pace, on the basics page.
2 · Basic exercise from day 1
Three times a day, with just a few repetitions at first. To the basic exercise
3 · Pull exercise and night-time use from week 3
The pull exercise is added, and the ZERO accompanies you at night.
4 · Advanced from around week 6
Further modules such as the breathing exercise or head balance rotation, suited to your topic.
All training begins with the ZERO. After a few weeks, the firmer ONE can take over daytime training, while the ZERO stays for the night. In the shop: ZERO, ONE or both as a set.
Strength is not what matters. The pattern counts.
Your nervous system controls breathing, swallowing and head balance according to a learned pattern. It learns a new pattern through many identical, clean repetitions, not through effort. If you practise with force in the old pattern, you simply perform the old pattern more forcefully.
Checklist
What to watch for in every repetition
Six points that apply to every exercise. A mirror helps at the beginning.
Upright
Sit or stand upright, with your head balanced over your spine. Don’t push it forward.
Tongue reference position
The tip of your tongue rests on the small ridge behind your upper front teeth.
Hold with the lips
Your lips hold the lip wedge, calmly and evenly, without pressing.
Through the nose
Breathe calmly through your nose throughout the entire exercise.
Hold steadily, then release
Hold the tension steadily, then relax. The pause lasts 2 to 6 seconds, depending on your training level.
Swallowing
Swallowing is part of the basic exercise. The tongue works against the palate, not against the teeth.
Technique
Biting down and swallowing
Every repetition of the basic and pull exercises ends with the same short sequence. While your lips hold the tension, you bite down and swallow, and only then do you relax. With every clean repetition, this sequence becomes more familiar to you.
1 · Hold the tension
You hold the lip tension of the basic exercise, and in the pull exercise also the forward pull.
2 · Bite down
While the tension is still held, you briefly bring your back teeth together. This bite starts the act of swallowing. Your front teeth do not touch.
3 · Swallow
You swallow once, keeping your teeth in contact. The tip of your tongue stays in the tongue reference position.
4 · Release, then relax
After swallowing, your back teeth separate again. Only then do you let go of the lip tension, and your lips enclose the lip wedge without pressure.
So your teeth only touch for this brief moment. In the relaxation phase, they rest lightly above one another, as if hovering. A noticeable negative pressure forming when you swallow is normal and part of the training.
The plan
Built up week by week
This is how the training for adults is structured. Three times a day, for example in the morning, at midday and in the evening. One session takes a few minutes.
- 1
Week 1 · Basic exercise, 8 repetitions
Three times a day with the ZERO. Better a few clean repetitions than many quick ones.
- 2
Week 2 · Basic exercise, 14 repetitions
The sequence becomes more familiar. The app counts along for you.
- 3
From week 3 · 20 repetitions, pull exercise, night-time use
The basic exercise increases to 20. The pull exercise again starts with 8, then 14, then 20. At night you wear the ZERO.
- 6
From around week 6 · Advanced modules
Depending on your topic, further modules are added. They complement the basic exercise; they do not replace it.
- …
Over months · Until it happens by itself
The basic training runs over several months, until mouth closure, tongue reference position and nasal breathing work without conscious attention, even during sleep.
Children have their own, gentler plan: FaceFormer for children. More on the process: Process and duration.
The exercises
All exercises with 3D animation
Each exercise has its own page with an animation, steps, images and a training plan.
Basic exercises · for everyone
Advanced exercises · from around week 6, depending on the topic
Module 4Upward pull
Module 5Downward pull
Module 6Varying directions
Module 7Breathing exercise
Module 8Head balance rotation
Module 9Head balance with breathing
Module 10Pelvic floor
Module 11AirFlipPrefer paper? Exercise instructions as a PDF
Common mistakes
And how to avoid them
Better not like this
Pressing hard, rushing through the repetitions, breathing through your mouth in between, pushing your head forward, doing a lot all at once only at the weekend.
This is how it works
Hold steady, release cleanly, breathe through your nose, stay upright, three times a day for a few minutes each. On a busy day, two sessions are better than three done irregularly.
At first, some things may feel unfamiliar: a lot of saliva, pressure on your teeth, or finding the FaceFormer next to your pillow in the morning. This is common and usually gets better with regular training. If you feel pain, take a break.
Motivation
How to keep going
Regularity matters more than ambition. These tips from practice help make training a firm habit, even when children are training too.
In front of the mirror
In the mirror, you can see your posture and lips directly. This way, small deviations become noticeable before they turn into habits.
Counting seconds on your fingers
Without a clock, count in your head “twenty-one, twenty-two” and so on, and raise one finger with each number. This keeps the rhythm of tension and rest even.
Hand tally counter
If you train without the app, a simple hand tally counter keeps track of your repetitions. You don’t have to count along and can stay focused on the exercise.
Reminders in the app
In the FaceFormer app, you set your training times, and it reminds you of every session.
Success calendar for children
A calendar in which each session is ticked off makes progress visible. For milestones reached, such as the first full week, there is a small, reliable reward. More ideas: FaceFormer for children.
On your own or with support
You decide how you train
With the free FaceFormer app and these pages, you can train on your own. The app guides you through the basic exercises, counts along and reminds you of your sessions.
A practice is recommended if you are not making progress, want to have symptoms checked or would like professional support. You can find practices in the practitioner directory.
Questions
Briefly answered
How often do I train?
Three times a day, spread over the day. More than three sessions are not necessary; what matters is regularity.
How long does a session take?
A few minutes. Less at the beginning, a little longer as the repetitions increase.
When do I switch from ZERO to ONE?
After a few weeks, once the basic exercise is well established. At night, you stay with ZERO. Children up to ten years of age train with ZERO.
How long do I train in total?
That depends on how long a pattern has already existed. Expect several months before it runs without conscious attention.
I wear a brace. Is that OK?
Yes, ZERO and ONE can be used with removable and fixed braces. Discuss the process with your orthodontic practice.
Wrinkles form on my upper lip during training. What am I doing wrong?
This can happen if you push your lips forward when tensing them. Instead, draw them slightly to the side, as in a hint of a grin, and tense them from this position. The corners of your mouth stay closed around the lip wedge.
Can I also train lying down?
Not for the daytime exercises. You train upright, standing or sitting without leaning back, because head balance is part of the training and cannot be practised lying down. You only wear the FaceFormer lying down at night, as a supplement to daytime training, not as a replacement.
Any more questions?
You can find many answers under Frequently asked questions.
Get started
Ready for the training?
The free FaceFormer app guides you through the basic exercises, counts along and reminds you of your sessions. If you wish, a practice from the practitioner directory can support you.
FaceFormer ZERO + ONE
Both material hardnesses for getting started, day and night. The set for adults.
FaceFormer ZERO
The softer FaceFormer for getting started, for children and for the night.
FaceFormer ZERO Children’s Set
ZERO with hygiene box, plush bag and success book with stamp.
FaceFormer training aims to restore the physiological setting of the basic functions of breathing, swallowing and head balance, with lip closure and the tongue reference position, thereby creating the conditions under which symptoms can improve. It does not replace a medical assessment. You can find practitioners near you in the practitioner directory.