Are you a Mouth Breather??

Mouth Breathing is breathing through the mouth instead of nose even during rest.

When it is normal??

When nose is congested due to cold, allergy or after strenuous exercise where mouth breathing provides faster oxygen.

Reasons for mouth breathing:

1.Obstructive

• Nasal Congestion
• Enlarged tonsil and adenoids
• Nasal polyps

2.Anatomic

• Short upper lip
• Deviated nasal septum
• Size and shape of jaw

3.Habitual

Effects of mouth breathing:

Mouth breathing is abnormal & can lead to various  major issues  in teeth and jaws. During mouth breathing, Tongue rests in a lower position leading to narrow jaw, crooked teeth, underdeveloped facial growth. As a consequence of this the neck moves forward which later can cause neck pain, shoulder pain, headache, Jaw joint pain, etc

Since there are no filters in the mouth alike nose, frequent inhalation of air through mouth can cause allergies, leading to Gum infection where gums often become red and swollen, Bleeding Gums, Bad breath, etc. Also air inhaled through mouth contain more impurities decreasing the lung function.

Most of the mouth breather will experience snoring, breathing problems which leads to disturbed sleep  mainly in children.This makes the children tired and restless during daytime, Attention deficient, several developmental and behavioural problems. If left untreated, there might be significant and serious health problems which can lead to poor quality of life later in adulthood.

How to treat it??

It can be treated by using

• Adhesive strip attached to bridge of nose helps to expand nose during nasal congestion
• Chin strip used to support lower chin and closes mouth to avoid mouth breathing.
• Appliances like Oral screen and Myobraces can be used to correct mouth breathing and also guide proper Jaw and teeth growth.