Mouth Breathing: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

When is it Ok to do Mouth Breathing?

Breathing provides your body with the oxygen it needs to survive and allows you to release carbon dioxide and waste.

You have two air passageways to your lungs, the nose and mouth, while healthy individuals use both their nose and mouth to breathe.

Breathing through your mouth only become necessary in case you have nasal congestion due to allergies or a cold.

Moreover, when you exercise strenuously, mouth breathing can help you get oxygen to your muscles faster.

Even so, breathing through the mouth all the time, even when you are sleeping can lead to certain problems.

In children, mouth breathing can cause crooked teeth, facial deformities, or poor growth.

While in adults, chronic mouth breathing can lead to bad breath and gingivitis.

Furthermore, it can also worsen the symptoms of other illnesses.

Keep on reading to learn more about mouth breathing.

Mouth Breathing: Advantages

It is important to note that the advantages of mouth breathing often go unnoticed until you have a bad cold.

A stuffy nose can reduce your quality of life, and can also affect your ability to sleep well and function in general.

Your nose produces nitric oxide, which improves the ability of your lungs to absorb oxygen.

Moreover, nitric oxide increases your ability to transport oxygen throughout your body, including inside your heart.

It relaxes vascular smooth muscle and allows blood vessels to dilate.

Furthermore, nitric oxide is also antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, and antibacterial.

It also helps your immune system to fight infections.

Thus, the advantages of mouth breathing are:

• your nose acts as a filter and retains small particles in the air, including pollen
• the nose adds moisture to the air that helps to prevent dryness in your lungs and bronchial tubes
• it warms up cold air to body temperature before it gets to your lungs
• breathing through your nose adds resistance to the air stream which increases oxygen uptake up maintains the elasticity of the lungs

How to know if you are Breathing through your Mouth?

You may not realize that you are mouth breathing instead of your nose, especially while you are asleep.

Moreover, if you are among people who breathe through their mouths at night, may have the following symptoms:

Snoring, dry mouth, bad breath, i.e. halitosis, hoarseness, waking up tired and irritable, chronic fatigue, brain fog, and dark circles under the eyes.

Symptoms in Children

As a parent, it is important to look for the signs of mouth breathing in their children.

It is important to note that your child may not be able to communicate their symptoms.

Just like adults, children who breathe with mouths will have their mouths open and will also snore at night.

Moreover, children who breathe through their mouths for most of the day also have the following:

• slower than the normal growth rate
• irritability
• increase in crying episodes at night
• large tonsils
• dry, cracked lips
• problems concentrating at school
• daytime sleepiness

Thus, children who show problems concentrating at school often are misdiagnosed with attention deficit disorder, ADD, or hyperactivity.

Causes of Mouth Breathing

The underlying cause of most cases of mouth breathing is an obstructed or completely blocked or partially blocked nasal airway.

In order words, if there is something preventing the smooth passage of air into the nose, it will cause breathing through the nose.

However, if your nose is blocked, your body automatically resorts to only another source that provides oxygen, i.e. your mouth.

There are a number of causes of a blocked nose. These are:

• nasal congestion that occurs due to allergies, a cold, or a sinus infection
• enlarged adenoids
• enlarged tonsils
• deviated septum
• nasal polyps, or benign growths of tissue in the lining of your nose
• large turbinates
• the shape of your nose
• the shape and size of your jaw
• tumors, which is rare

It is important to note that some people can also develop a habit of breathing through their mouth instead of their nose even after nasal obstruction clears.

However, some people with sleep apnea can also develop a habit to sleep with their mouths open to accommodate the need for oxygen.

Furthermore, stress and anxiety can also cause you to breathe through the mouth instead of the nose.

Stress tends to activate the sympathetic nervous system leading to shallow, rapid, and abnormal breathing.

Risk Factors of Breathing through Mouth

It is important to note that anyone can develop a habit of breathing through the mouth.

However, certain conditions can increase your risk.

These are:

• chronic allergies
• asthma
• chronic stress and anxiety
• recurring or chronic sinus infection
• hay fever

Diagnosing Mouth Breathing

There is no single test to diagnose mouth breathing.

Your doctor may diagnose mouth breathing during a physical examination when looking at your nostrils or during a visit to find out what is causing persistent nasal congestion.

Moreover, they may also ask questions about your sleep, snoring, sinus problems, and difficulty breathing.

On the other hand, a dentist may diagnose mouth breathing during a routine dental examination in case you have bad breath, frequent cavities, or gum disease.

However, if your Arabic female dentist or doctor notices swollen tonsils, nasal polyps, and other conditions, they may refer you to a specialist.

It may be the one who specializes in ear, nose, and throat, ENT doctor for further evaluation.

Can it lead to other Health Problems?

Mouth breathing is very drying and a dry mouth means that saliva is not able to wash bacteria from your mouth.

This can lead to bad breath, periodontal diseases like gingivitis, and cavities, and throat and ear infections.

Moreover, mouth breathing may result in low oxygen concentration in your blood.

This is associated with high blood pressure and heart failure.

Studies indicate that mouth breathing may also decrease lung function and even worsen the symptoms and exacerbations in people with asthma.

However, in children, mouth breathing can lead to physical abnormalities and cognitive challenges.

Thus, if your child does not get treatment for mouth breathing, they can develop:

• long, narrow faces
• narrow mouths
• gummy smiles
• dental malocclusion, including a large overbite and crowded teeth
• poor posture

Also, if your child breathes through the mouth they will often not sleep well at night.

This poor sleep can lead to poor growth, poor academic performances, inability to concentrate, and sleep disorders.

Treatment Options

Treatment for mouth breathing depends on the cause.

With the help of medications, you can treat nasal congestion due to colds and allergies.

These medications are nasal decongestants, antihistamines, and prescription or over-the-counter, OCT steroid nasal sprays.

Moreover, adhesive strips that you can apply to the bridge of your nose can help to breathe.

A stiff adhesive strip or nasal dilator that you apply across the nostril will help to decrease the airflow resistance.

This, in turn, will help you to breathe more easily through the nose.

However, if you have obstructive sleep apnea, your doctor will likely have you wear a face-mash appliance at night or continuous positive air pressure therapy, or CPAP.

This appliance will deliver air to your nose and mouth through a mask.

The pressure of the air keeps the airways from collapsing and becoming blocked.

In children, however, surgical removal of swollen tonsils and adenoids can help treat mouth breathing.

Your dentist may be able to recommend that your child wears an appliance that helps to widen the palate and help open the sinuses and nasal passages.

Braces and other orthodontic treatments may also help to treat the underlying cause of mouth breathing.

Prevention Tips

Chronic mouth breathing that occurs due to the shape of your face or nose cannot always be prevented.

However, if you find your nose frequently congested due to allergies or respiratory infections, there are certain things you can take to prevent making it a habit.

It is a good idea to address nasal congestion or dryness right away.

Tips for preventing mouth breathing are:

• slaine mist during long flights or cruises
• saline nasal mists and sprays and nasal decongestants or allergy reliever medications at the first sign of an allergy or cold symptoms
• sleeping on your back with your head elevated to open up the airways and promote nasal breathing
• keeping your house clean and free of allergens
• installing air filters in your heat and air conditioning, HVAC system to prevent the spread of allergens in your house.
• consciously practicing breathing through your nose during the day to help yourself into a habit of nose breathing

In case you experience stress or anxiety, you can manage it through yoga or meditation practice.

Yoga is beneficial for people who breathe through their mouths as a result of stress as it focuses on deep breathing through the nose.

Restorative yoga, however, helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and promote slower deep breathing through the nose.

Outlook

Treating mouth breathing in children can help reduce or even prevent negative effects on their facial and dnetal development, Children who receive surgery or other intervention to reduce mouth breathing show improvement in energy levels, behavior, academic performance, and growth

However, if you do not get treatment, it can lead to tooth decay and gum diseases. Moreover, poor sleep due to mouth breathing can also reduce your quality of life and exacerbate stress.

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