Mouth breathing may not seem like a serious concern, but there’s more to it than waking up with bad breath or feeling like you haven’t had a drink of water in a very long time.
There’s a direct link between mouth breathing, the shape of your dental arch and feeling tired during the day.
Let’s take a look at how this seemingly harmless habit can affect your oral health and lifestyle.
The Chain Reaction Caused by Mouth Breathing
When you breathe through your mouth, it can lead to a series of events that can negatively affect your oral and overall health:
- Mouth breathing causes your tongue to move from the roof of your mouth. This can keep your jaw from widening properly when you’re younger.
- When this happens, your dental arch may be too narrow, resulting in crowded teeth and a shrunken nasal cavity.
- When you’re sleeping, your throat muscles relax, and because your airway is already restricted, it’s more easily blocked, causing you to wake up numerous times each night.
- This fragmented sleep causes your oxygen levels to drop, and you don’t get sufficient REM sleep, leading to daytime fatigue and other issues.
Caring for Your Oral Health in Highgate Hill, QLD
If you’d like to learn more about how we use myofunctional therapy to treat mouth breathing in adults, we’d be happy to help!
At Be Well Dental, we’re committed to your oral and overall health, so feel free to call us on (07) 3846 2002.