Mouth Breathing Creates Health Issues

You may not have thought that it matters very much whether your child breathes through the mouth, but it does. The inability to breathe through the nose leads to mouth breathing, which may be caused by allergies, swollen tonsils or adenoids. These conditions can result in changes in the facial structure, a smaller mouth, or crooked teeth.

Symptoms of mouth breathing

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, children who are mouth breathers may show any of these symptoms:

• Face that is long or narrow
• Eyes that often form tears or dark circles
• Nose that is difficult to breathe through
• Mouth that is smaller than usual
• Teeth that are crowded
• Lips that are large or dry
• Chin that appears small or weak
• Jaw that juts forward

Children who breathe through their mouth may be smaller in height or weight than others in their age group.

Problems resulting from mouth breathing

Several problems may result from mouth breathing. For example:

• Jaws don't grow together correctly, so problems with the bite may develop, and teeth may grow in more crooked.
• The child's head may tend to pull forward to compensate for breathing problems, resulting in a "chicken neck" appearance.
• The shoulders or collar bones may roll forward.
• Tongue thrusting may result in problems with swallowing, talking, or the position of teeth.
• The child may become more self-conscious or lose self-esteem because of these changes in the appearance.
• Headaches, earaches, jaw pain, and sleep apnea also may result.

If these problems are not corrected, eventually your child may need orthodontic treatment.

Solutions

To prevent, identify, and correct potential problems with mouth breathing, usually we recommend that children are evaluated for orthodontic treatment between the ages of 5 and 11. At this stage, the jaw and teeth are still growing, so they will be easier to treat.

The earlier that we can address this condition, the more likely it is that we can reverse the effects. The results? Your child may have less pain, easier oxygen intake, a better night's sleep, a more natural profile, and a beautiful, healthy smile.