Mouth Breathing Effects

We naturally (should & want to) breathe through our nose. Some people cannot breathe through their noses because of obstruction of the nasal passages. This can be caused by a deviation of the nasal septum, allergies, sinus infections, swelling of the turbinate, or large adenoids (tonsils in the back of the throat).

Causes Could be...

In adults, the most common causes of nasal obstruction are Septal deviations from a broken nose or polyps, tissue swelling from allergies.

In children, enlarged adenoids are often the cause of the obstruction.

So, People with nasal airway obstruction who breathe through their mouths are therefore sometimes called "mouth breathers."

Many mouth breathers "Snore", because the flow of air through the mouth causes greater vibration of tissues.

If left untreated, the risk of Obstructive sleep apnea "OSA", can increase Further.

Common Effects

Mouth breathing habit can also dry out protective saliva causing Xerostomia (dryness of mouth) & altered salivary chemistry and lead to more tooth decay.

As a result, you might notice more Enamel erosion and cavities causing tooth breakage.

Chronic mouth breathing Shortens the distance between the mandible and hyoid bone, and reduces the retropalatal and retroglossal areas yielding a net reduction in upper airway space.

The developmental forces are normally balanced when breathing through nose that develops a proper, "U-shaped arch"

In Mouth breathing the tongue moves down from Palate, i.e ..moves away from the roof of the mouth & rests on the Lower posterior teeth as shown in pic above

This causes 3 major effects.

1) The Posterior teeth eruption is suppressed while anterior teeth erupts--This causes

BI CUSPID DENTITION

2) With tongue not in palatial position- the inward Forces of the Cheek gets unopposed. So, it presses the Upper arch narrow causing

2 a) "V" shaped arch.

2 b) Deep Palate

2 c) Proclination of front teeth.

Overall Causes Malocclusion & TMJ issues

3) This lowered position causes the tongue to stick out of the mouth which can lead to speech problems. Especially pronouncing - 'ch' -'sh'-'s'-'z' and j sounds.

Mouth breathing cause Stomatognathic Structural Changes..

Changes facial skeletal shape. (Long face ,small mandible, convex profile.)

Causes TMJ symptoms.

Makes the mouth to be mostly open- Incompetent Lips

Alters muscle tonicity and causes hyperactivity

Snoring and sleep Apnea', Occurs as the jaw shifts further backward, making it hard to breathe, even through the mouth, especially when sleeping.

Because the jaw isn’t where it’s supposed to be, one may also feel, the following at times...

-'Sore jaw muscles', causing tension & spasm in other muscles in the head and neck, leading to headaches and

neck pain.

-'Clenching and grinding of teeth', which can lead to worn and damaged teeth thus shifting the jaw even further back.

-'Tinnitus and vertigo' The pressure of the condyle against the temporal bone & pressure on nerves can contribute to this.

DENTAL CORRECTION POSSIBILITIES

It’s vital to restore the jaw to its proper position using several devices deemed appropriate by proper evaluation. It could be-

1)"Myofunctional appliance" for children and adolescents

It can be started as early as 3yrs.

It will teach correct tongue positioning and swallowing pattern.

2) "Bite splint", that puts the jaw, in a restful position

3) “Adjust the bite - Occlusal contact points” & re-adjust the pressure points with the help of "T-Scan" evaluations.

4) Restore "Lost Occlusal height", that holds the jaw, in a restful position, known as full mouth rehabilitation in adults.

To Get your Child's Issue of Mouth Breathing Corrected, Please book your slot at our website dentistLotusclinics.com

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