Mouth Breathing & Oral Health Issues

Breathing issues come in many forms. Bad breathing habits can form without us knowing about it and because we breathe without thinking about it, we’re not always conscious of breathing methods and how to correct them.

Chronic mouth breathing causes a lot of issues that aren’t really spoken about.

Let’s go over a few.

Mouth Breathing Can Cause Issues in Facial Development

Remember when your Grandma said “Don’t make that face or it’ll be stuck like that.”?

Facial development is directly impacted by mouth breathing. Without noticing, we’re training the muscles in our face to form different neutral positions based on our behavior, including excessive mouth breathing.

Mouth Breathing Can Cause Low Oxygen Levels

Our body is always breathing for us, bringing in oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide, but it does so based on our body’s habits and needs.

Breathing through the mouth brings in a different level of oxygen. While it’s not always the case, excessive mouth breathing has been known to cause our bodies to overwork to compensate for low oxygen levels.

Mouth Breathing Affects Oral Health

When we breathe through our mouths, we are creating a highway for everything in the air to pass by our teeth, gums and tongues, causing bacteria and other contaminants to stop and cause issues, including tooth decay and infection.

Excessive mouth breathing can dry out our mouths as well, and this can cause these issues to happen more frequently. 

5 Signs of Mouth Breathing:

It’s important to find out if you’re a mouth breather so you can address these issues with your dentist.

• Dry Mouth
• Chronic Bad Breath
• Sleep Issues like Snoring or Sleep Apnea
• Respiratory Infections
• Frequent Dental Issues 

What You Can Do to Treat Excessive Mouth Breathing

If you’re a mouth breather, consult your dentist.

We can help address the root causes and offer treatments like mouth guards, dry mouth remedies, or myofunctional therapy.