Mouth Breathing is it normal?

Nose is an organ through which we inhale and exhale, its anatomy purifies the air and is conducive for breathing. Our Mouth on the other hand is meant for lot of things like

• Eating
• Talking
• Occasional breathing when we exercise, strain yourself or while suffering from cold.

Here occasional breathing doesn’t happen all the time, breathing through mouth often indicates deeper problems such as.

• Nasal obstruction (deviated nasal septum, sinus issues etc).
• Enlarged Adenoids.
• Excessive prolonged habits like thumbsucking or pacifier use.
• Small lower jaw.

DOES MOUTH BREATHING CHANGE OUR FACE?

This might sound scary but persistent mouth breathing from young age can change facial bone structure thus creating long term impact.

Below is the picture of a 12-year-old boy, who had chronic nasal issues he was recommended for adenoidectomy, but his parents didn’t go through it but got it done late (age of 11years).

His face changed because of that as you can see ,

• Unable to close lips
• Persistent open mouth position
• Dry lips and high chances of dental decay.
• Lack of cheek prominence.

We treated this patient with braces and Mini screws and results were fantastic and parents were very happy with the results.

So, the final point?

Parents please be vigilant about mouth breathing in your children and look out for these things.

• Persistent open mouth
• Forwardly placed upper front teeth
• Snoring
• Lack of attentiveness in school
• Thumb sucking habit or prolonged pacifier use

Consult us to know what best treatment options are available, and remember younger the patient easier the treatment options .

Cheers