Breathing through the nose is essential for several reasons: it warms and moistens air before entering the lungs, filters out large particles, and detects smells. When a person mouth-breathes, all of those functions are bypassed. Mouth breathing can lead to various health problems in both children and adults. If you think your child might be mouth breathing at night, here’s what you need to know.
The Bad Habit of Mouth Breathing
Mouth breathing is exactly what it sounds like: breathing through the mouth instead of the nose. Although mouth breathing can occasionally happen due to a stuffy nose from a cold, allergies, or other illnesses, mouth breathing at night is a real problem if it becomes a habit.
There are many reasons why mouth breathing is bad for children’s health, including:
- Dry mouth: When mouth breathing, air bypasses the nose and goes directly to the lungs. This can cause the mouth to become dry and lead to problems with saliva production. A dry mouth can also lead to bad breath.
- Sleep problems: Mouth breathers often snore or have sleep apnea (a condition where someone stops breathing for short periods during sleep). This can cause sleep problems for the mouth breather and their family.
- Attention and behavior problems: Because mouth breathing can cause sleep problems, it can also lead to attention and behavior problems during the day.
- Dental problems: Mouth breathing can cause teeth to be misaligned and can lead to gum disease.
Why Is My Child Mouth Breathing?
No child between 2 and 4 years old should be snoring. Snoring and open-mouth breathing at night are detrimental to a child’s growth, development, and cognitive functions. Children should have the best sleep quality and need 10 to 16 hours of high-quality sleep each night for proper development.
If your child is mouth breathing at night, it could be due to various causes, including an obstructed airway because of poor jaw growth. Mouth breathing can cause various problems for children, including difficulty concentrating in school, snoring, and even sleep apnea.
Myobrace for Mouth Breathing
By starting early in a child’s facial development, we can use Myobrace technology as an orthopedic stimulation to maximize the full genetic potential of facial growth. Dr. Buck believes that most of the children he is treating with Myobrace will not need braces in their early teen years.
By eliminating snoring and mouth breathing in properly developing the child’s airway, the Myobrace technology assures restful sleep and all the developmental benefits that affords a growing child. The full-forward developed jaws also create competent airways and proper body posture, which are critical factors in avoiding sleep apnea as an adult. Additionally, a fully formed jaw creates aesthetically pleasing, fully developed facial features.
Stop Mouth Breathing Today
To learn more about mouth breathing and our Myobrace technology, please visit our website or contact us at (425) 948-1875 to schedule a consultation.
