Mouth Breathing Is a Bad Habit
When kids are little, maybe it’s easy for some parents not to notice their kids’ breathing habits or maybe they don’t realize that mouth breathing is a bad habit. The truth is, mouth breathing is often a sign of a breathing obstruction and if not fixed early on, it can have developmental consequences.
What Causes Mouth Breathing?
Mouth breathing is usually a sign of a breathing obstruction. These obstructions can be caused by a several things but most commonly are the result of:
- Environmental or food allergies
- Structural deficiencies
- Poor posture
- Incorrect breathing habits
Long Term Effects
How can something as simple as mouth breathing change someone’s life? The human body is evolved for nasal breathing, which filters pathogens from the air, humidifies inhaled air, and increases air flow to arteries, veins, and nerves. Deviating from this preference and continuing the habit has physical and behavioral consequences.
Physical Effects
The following is a list of physical characteristics that come from regular mouth breathing:
- Abnormal facial development
- Abnormal dental development
- Abnormal airway development
- Long faces
- Gummy smiles
- Gingivitis
- Crooked teeth
Behavioral Effects
As mouth breathers grow up, their nasomaxillary complex continues on the same dysfunctional developmental trajectory. Eventually, continuous mouth breathing can cause sleep issues such as:
- Bed wetting
- Snoring
- Sleep apnea
The consequences of mouth breathing don’t end with sleep. Poor sleep has a way of creeping into our waking lives and impairing our mental acuity, especially for mouth breathers:
- Increased irritability
- Easily frustrated
- Behavioral problems
- Poor school performance
- Attention deficit
- Hyperactive disorders
Continued Mouth Breathing
Children who don’t receive treatment for their mouth breathing/airway obstruction and continue the bad habit are more likely to experience several other issues. One thing they may experience more or is teasing and bullying from their peers.
Airway Development Treatment
For more information on mouth breathing and airway development, call Dr. David Buck’s office at 425-361-7499 to schedule a consultation.
