Adverse effects of mouth breathing on our health

Mouthing Breath seems to be normal and hassle-free but this habit makes your oral health prone to various obstacles. Breathing through the mouth instead of the nose during workouts or suffered from cold is common, but the persistence of this habit will end up in cosmetic dental flaws and serious health concerns which require immediate care.

If you or your kid inhale and exhale with the mouth, then this post is for you. We have listed the causes of this habit and its adverse effects on oral & overall health. Scroll down to know more.

Why should we use our nose alone to breath?

Our respiratory system allows breathing effectively with nose. Nose takes care of the action to prepare the air we inhale for the lungs by cleaning, moisturizing and warming the air. It shows that the oxygen we inhale contains a small amount of dust and it is quit dirt.

If we suck in the air through the mouth, the air cannot be cleansed as the nose does. Then the dirt substances in the air infect the respiratory tract and cause certain problems.

What causes mouth breathing?

Some people develop this habit in their childhood. Having this habit during childhood or adulthood affect the development of facial bones which in turn, interrupts the teeth alignment and cause crooked teeth.

Apart from the habitual occurrence, other factors that push one to mouth breathe are:

• Nasal Congestion – It is caused by various aspects like respiratory infection, swollen tonsils and other allergies that make inflammation in the nasal tissue. This condition shrinks the nasal cavity and makes the person difficult to do nasal breath. Then he/she will use mouth to breathe.
• Structural Abnormalities – Abnormalities or unusual structure inside the nose also cause mouth breathing. For example, if the nasal septum which separates the two sides of the nose is narrow or small in size than the actual size, it makes the person difficult to breathe with nose and prefer mouth breathing. Similarly, if a person has an abnormal tooth structure and feels difficult to close mouth, it also makes him/her to breathe with the mouth.

How does mouth breathing impact our health?

1) Improper Facial Structure

In general, our tongue is rested at the top against the palate where the tongue stands behind the front teeth. While breathing through the mouth, the tongue is rested at the middle of the mouth and allow air to pass through space. It intrudes the development of facial structure by shrinking the maxilla region.

As discussed earlier, mouth breath makes a negative impact on the teeth position which requires orthodontic treatment to resolve the teeth misalignment problem.

2) Dental Health Problems

People who have the habit of mouth breathing have higher chances of dry mouth. When the mouth gets dry, oral bacteria inherits inside the mouth and cling to the teeth, tongue, cheeks and other oral regions. Such bacterial invasion is the base reason for many dental hazards like teeth decay, bad breath, etc.

3) Sleep Disorders

Researches show that people who use mouth for breathing have sleep apnea. Such sleep disorders affect daily activities and reduce people’s work efficiency. This may end in serious psychological problems and mental disorders.

4) Postural Changes

In order to open the airway while breathing with the mouth, you have to keep your head in an upward position and downturn the shoulders. This kind of posture changes for a long time will cause spinal cord problems.

5) Other health problems

The amount of oxygen our body receives with mouth breathing is relatively low when compared to nasal breath. Such low oxygen level has an effect on the blood flow and causes various hazards like feeling tired, chronic headaches, blood pressure, digestive disorders and even heart problems.

Conclusion

The consequences of mouth breathing are more adverse than we think. If you observe your child has the habit of mouth breathing or thumb sucking, practice the kid to break the habit and breath through the nose. It is because thumb sucking also makes one develop mouth breath.

Otherwise, if the habit is occurred due to physical obstruction, consult your Doctor to rectify the abnormalities.