What Every Parent Needs to Know About Mouth Breathing

Information is out of date

For some people, having an open mouth is simply a habit — their mouth falls open when they are not focused on keeping it closed. Other people's mouths are open and used for breathing. This is known as "open mouth resting posture" or simply "open mouth."

The natural position for healthy breathing is to close the mouth and inhale and exhale through the nose.

Some adults are acutely aware of their open-mouth habit, whereas others are unaware of it until they meet me.

The Serious Health Effects of Mouth Breathing

Teeth and braces

If you have your mouth open, your braces will take longer to put on, and your treatment will be much more difficult for your orthodontist. Once your braces are removed, the spaces between your teeth will be more difficult to close, and the stability of your teeth's alignment will be jeopardized. This indicates that you are likely to experience orthodontic relapse and will require braces again in the future.

Speech

Children who open their mouths are more likely to struggle with certain speech sounds. A lisp, or the inability to pronounce "S" sounds correct, is the most commonly associated speech problem. When you have an open mouth, you also have what we call a "tongue thrust swallowing pattern," which affects your speech. During speaking and swallowing, this swallowing pattern causes the tongue to protrude or push forward.

Facial growth and development

It is critical to recognize that growth is a very powerful force. In most cases, a child with an open mouth will grow up with flatter facial features, less prominent cheekbones, a longer face, droopier eyes and lower facial muscle tone, a narrower palate, and even a smaller lower jaw. These negative growth patterns can be avoided by closing the mouth and breathing through the nose. It’s also a good idea to consult your pediatric dentist about other options.

Sleep and oxygen

When adults and children breathe through their mouths during the day, it is very likely that they will also breathe through their mouths at night. Mouth breathing at night, in combination with an obstructed airway, is a symptom of sleep apnea and altered levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the bloodstream. When less oxygen reaches the brain, many children struggle with learning and concentration at school. Chronic fatigue, tiredness, and brain fog are common symptoms associated with these issues in adults.

What Causes an Open Mouth or Mouth Breathing Habit?

They have (or had) a thumb or finger-sucking habit.

When the thumb is in the mouth for an extended period of time, the oral and facial muscles develop to accommodate this habit. When the thumb is in the mouth, the lips cannot form a seal, and a tongue-thrust swallowing pattern develops. Just because a child stops sucking their thumb does not mean that the symptoms of mouth breathing will go away. The same thing happens with sucking habits as it does with airway issues: the habit is broken, but the mouth breathing continues. After a thumb/finger-sucking habit has been eliminated, myofunctional therapy, in conjunction with orthodontic treatment, is frequently required.

They have (or had) a tongue tie.

A tongue tie is a real medical condition, not just a catchphrase for when someone can't get their words out. This condition is also known as a tethered tongue or a restricted lingual frenulum. In order to maintain a closed mouth posture, patients with this condition frequently require their tongue to be released through a simple surgical procedure. Because the position of the tongue is so important in nasal breathing, it may be difficult to stop mouth breathing if the tongue is restricted physically.