The term mouth breather is actually used as an insult towards a person with a perceived lack of intelligence or someone with poor social skills. This is because mouth breathing in public appears socially less acceptable, as mouth breathers appear to have a slack jaw appearance and the worst part is that mouth breathing can cause or exacerbate halitosis.
A healthy, normal individual breathes through the nose during rest and light exercise and during vigorous exercise breathes simultaneously through the nose and mouth, in order to provide sufficient oxygen. The nose acts as a filter to clean, warm and moistens the air before entering the lungs.
Causes
Mouth breathers can be classified into 3:
- Obstructive
- Habitual
- Anatomic
Obstructive: complete or partial obstruction of the nasal passage may lead to mouth breathing. The following are some of the causes:
- Deviated nasal septum,
- Nasal polyps
- Chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa
- Localized benign tumors
- Congenital enlargement of the nasal turbinates
- Allergies which lead to nasal obstruction
- Obstructive adenoids
Almost every family may have someone with mouth breathing problems.
Habitual: this is a condition where the patient continues to breathe through the mouth even after the nasal obstruction has been removed. It becomes a deep rooted habit that is performed unconsciously.
Anatomic: a mouth breather whose lip morphology does not permit complete closure of the mouth, such as patients having short upper lips.
Dental Effects
- Overtime children who suffer from mouth breathing and who are not treated may suffer from abnormal facial and dental development such as long narrow faces and mouths, gummy smiles, crooked teeth and gingivitis.
- Mouth breathing does not allow normal development of the maxilla due to the lateral pressure produced by the buccinator muscles on the upper jaw. Also the mandible is kept open during mouth breathing and there is a tendency for the posterior teeth to supraerupt causing an open bite and an increased face length. This is called long face syndrome or classic adenoid facies.
- The gummy smiles are due to increase in face length.
- Malaligned teeth.
- Dryness of the mouth predisposes to dental caries.
Systemic Effects
Children who breathe through their mouths do no sleep well and are tired during the day and are unable to concentrate in school. This may lead to behavioral problems. Many of these children are misdiagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and hyperactivity.
Since mouth breathing can cause poor oxygen concentration in the bloodstream, it can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems, sleep apnea and other medical issues too.
Treatment
Mouth breathing is not an untreatable condition but treatment becomes easier if diagnosed early. After surgery or orthodontic intervention patients shows improvement in behavior, academic performance, energy level, peer acceptance and growth.
Seeking treatment for mouth breathing can significantly improve quality of life.