Does your child snore?
Does he have trouble breathing through his nose?
Does she walk around with her mouth open or have an open bite?

These are signs that your child has difficulty breathing through his/her nose.  Is this important?  Yes, it is very important that your child breathe through their nose.  Breathing is one of our most basic functions.  Our bodies will do whatever it takes to get in air.  If we can’t breathe through our noses, we have to change our breathing to our mouths.  This might not seem like a major issue, but it can have a drastic effect on our growth and development.

Growth

How we breathe effects how our upper and lower jaws, nose, and teeth grow.  In normal growth, our tongue sits in the proper place, which allows for correct jaw, nose and tooth growth.  When someone “mouth breathes,” they have to lower the tongue to get air.  This makes the face muscles squeeze the jaw, narrowing the position of the teeth and nose, making breathing though the nose even harder.

The late Dr. Jim Gary (inventor of the NUK pacifier) did a study on a set of 6 year old twins who both had blocking tonsils and adenoids.  Their bites were open (teeth don’t touch in the front) and they snored.  Dr. Gary had one of the twins’ tonsils and adenoids removed.   Over the next months, he monitored the progress.   As time went on, the boy without the tonsils began to grow normally.  The open bite closed and snoring stopped while the other twin stayed the same.  This shows very clearly how breathing properly effects your development.

Health Issues

What kind of effects can this have on our lives?

Studies have shown that “mouth breathers” have higher chances of Sleep Apnea, High Blood Pressure, Asthma, Speech problems, TMJ Problems (Bite Problems), excessive tooth wear, etc.  The treatment of Sleep Apnea is becoming one of the most important aspects in medicine.  Patients are getting diagnosed earlier and earlier.  If you go back in time, it always goes back to poor breathing during growth and development.

Treatment

What can be done?  Make sure your child can and does breathe through their nose.  Allergists can check for food and other allergies.  An ENT can see if the tonsils and adenoids are blocking the airway.  A sleep study can be done to rule out Sleep Apnea.  The treatment may be as simple as avoiding certain foods or taking allergy medicine or it can be as complicated as surgery (removal of the tonsils and adenoids to Jaw and nose surgery).  The earlier you address the cause, the easier the solution.

As you can see, how we breathe has a major effect on our lives and the lives of our children.  If you find you or your child have any of these problems, see a doctor or dentist trained in the management of breathing and sleep issues.  If you need help finding a doctor, please call our office and we will be glad to point you in the right direction.