Mouth Breathing: What You Need to Know

Breathing through the mouth can be a symptom of other ailments. This can beckon many disorders. When we breathe through our mouths, the inhaled air doesn't get filtered and warmed, as it would have been if it were done through the nose, with the air passing over the nasal canal and the paranasal sinuses. Breathing this way also dries out the mouth.

Mouth breathing, by medical definition, refers to the act of inhaling and exhaling using the mouth. It is an unnatural health condition which is caused by, and can be the cause of, a wide variety of abnormalities pertaining to the respiratory system, facial structure and oral cavity.

This way of breathing is not considered unnatural if it is done as a result of intense physical strain or rigorous exercise. In fact, it is normal for healthy individuals to breathe simultaneously through the mouth and the nose under circumstances of intense physical activity because, at such times, the body gets a greater supply of oxygen this way.

A mouth breather can be identified by a few distinctive physical signs such as dry mouth and lips, retarded physical growth, long and narrow face, dark circles, respiratory allergies, smaller jaws with congested teeth formation, deep creases between lower lip and chin, tonsillitis, etc.

Most distinctive causes of breathing through the mouth include excessive use of pacifier during infancy, recurring allergies, constriction of upper airways, mispositioned lower jaw often caused by thumb-sucking and insufficient suckling during infancy. Other causes may include the occurrence of nasal polyps, deviation of nasal septum and tonsil hypertrophy.

Most often, breathing through the mouth is also brought on by chest congestion, asthma, obesity, sleep apnea, etc. You can also scroll through other breathing problems to know more.

Habitual oral breathing causes gum diseases and bad breath due to altered bacterial flora. Also, it can lead to hypotonicity of the upper lip and hyperactivity of the lower lip. It may also stunt dental growth as well as growth of jaw bones, besides making the palate vault higher than usual.

Oral breathing is responsible for compromising the airway by increasing tonsil size and blocking the airway to such an extent that it becomes impossible to breathe through the nose. It also dries the mouth and imparts an adenoid face due to deformed jaws of the affected individual.

Breathing from the nose produces a tissue hormone which regulates normal blood circulation. It also helps filter, warm and humidify the air. The lack of oxygen in mouth breathers, who are also chronic snorers and struggle for air, weakens the immune system, disrupts sleep cycles, and obstructs the production of growth hormone.

Breathing through the mouth instead of the nostrils produces a reflex forward head posture which put undue load on the neck and upper shoulders. Should this load be sustained for a long time, the posture of this area can get altered permanently. This in turn can affect the hips knees and feet.

Many researches have attributed OSA to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is symptomized by snoring and ADHD. It can occur in adults and snoring is an essential sign of it.

Treatment for this condition is preceded by a thorough ENT checkup to ascertain whether the cause is habitual or obstructive as treatments differ for each. In case of habitual cause the treatment is directed towards preventing air from entering via the mouth. This is known as Appliance Therapy .

In this an oral screen, which is a thin rubber membrane, is worn on the outer surface on the teeth and gums at night. If the cause of such abnormal breathing technique is any kind of respiratory obstruction, the obstruction and its cause is, first, diagnosed and the treatment is specific to it. 

Other treatments include deep breathing exercises and Myofunctional Therapy, which is used to correct various orofacial disordersincluding hypotonic upper lips.

In children, oral breathing might manifest as drooling, sleeping open-mouthed, disturbed sleep, snoring, nasal irritation and obstruction, irritability during day, etc. The causes can be similar oral breathing practice in parents, overfeeding, over clothing, inclusion of more junk food than nutritional food in the infant's diet, sedentary lifestyle, etc.

The effects of oral breathing in children span a large variety of medical conditions. Prominent among these are allergic rhinitis, malocclusion, enlarged tonsils, higher gingival index levels, facial and postural deformation, bad breath, obstructive nasal septum deviation, etc.

Breathing through the mouth while sleeping is characterized by snoring and sleep apnea. Both of these are respiratory conditions, besides being individual medical conditions themselves, and may hint towards many other underlying health disorders such as obesity, heart diseases, sleep disorders, etc.

Apart from the medical implications mentioned above, oral respiration generates various negative social perceptions. For instance, bad breath, resulting from oral respiration, is socially unacceptable in all cultures. Besides, the external deformities caused by it gives a nose dive to the confidence of the affected and person feels socially awkward. 

The disruption of sleep and inadequate and unfiltered oxygen intake takes a toll on individual performance and stamina and makes affected person lag behind, socially as well as professionally. This condition should not be taken lightly as it is a disorder in itself and is an indication of many latent medical conditions. It harbingers serious health issues. 

Hence, a thorough checkup is advisable on detecting any of the signs of oral breathing discussed above. Since health is wealth and prevention is better than cure, let us conserve our treasure of physiological well-being and prevent health complications by paying attention to littlest signs of latent ill-health and tackling them head on before they take over.