What might seem like a harmless or even cute habit, is anything but. How we breathe can impact tooth and jaw structures, speech, sleep quality, mood, and even facial development.
Let’s take a deeper look:
- An open mouth posture does not allow the tongue to rest in the upper palate, leading to further underdevelopment of the upper jaw. This can lead to physical abnormalities like narrow mouth, gummy smile, crooked and crowded teeth, & poor posture.
- When the tongue rests in the lower jaw, it stimulates vertical growth. This creates a longer “horsey” face and affects development of the mid-face region.
- Mouth breathing stimulates the upper lungs, triggering the sympathetic nerve receptors, and sending the body into a constant state of “fight-or-flight.”
- A constant state of stress prevents the body from entering deep sleep, affecting the quality of sleep achieved. Poor sleep quality can affect attention, focus, and productivity at work and school.
- Mouth breathing bypasses the nasal mucosa, making regular breathing difficult. This often leads to snoring, irregular breath, and sleep apnea.
- Breathing through the mouth causes imbalance in the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. Less oxygen reaching the brain affects the ability to focus, and can cause fatigue, chronic tiredness, and brain fog.
- Open mouth posture can create speech difficulty and the ability to produce certain sounds.
- Mouth breathing does not filter out foreign particles in the air, and often causes dry mouth, bad breath, and cavities.