It is perfectly natural to breathe through your mouth at certain times, such as when lifting a heavy load or exercising. Breathing through the mouth as the primary source of breathing can cause health problems. These problems can be especially severe for children because it can affect the long-term development of the face. Most of us bring air into our body through our nose. The nose is designed to act as a natural humidifier and filtering system for the air we breathe. When we breathe through our nose we also produce and release nitric oxide which helps to oxygenate our lungs and blood vessels, whereas mouth breathing bypasses this step. Nitric oxide plays an important role in vasoregulation, homeostasis, neurotransmission, immune defense and respiration. It helps to prevent high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and prevent the clogging of arteries, all of which reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. As you can see, ideal breathing is in and out through the nose. When we can’t get enough air through our nose, however, the mouth takes over. Breathing through the mouth most of the time was not nature’s intent. When this happens, problems can occur.

Why Would Someone Mouth Breathe?

Mouth breathing is a postural habit that can develop for numerous reasons. Below are the most common:
- Allergies/Asthma
- Thumb or finger sucking habit
- Low tongue posture
- A physical restriction in the tongue
- Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
- Chronic nasal congestion
- Respiratory infection

Each of these factors or a history of any one of them make it physically difficult for a person to nasal breathe. If nasal breathing is not possible, the body’s only choice is to mouth breathe. The body can only live a few minutes without oxygen, so utilizing the emergency access hole (the mouth) allow you to continue to live, but without all the other benefits of nasal breathing.

Mouth breathing changes the way the tongue works; it can develop into low tongue posture, or an abnormal swallowing pattern commonly known as a tongue thrust. A tongue thrust affects speech, swallowing, breathing, and chewing in problematic ways.

Nasal Breathing Simplified

Taking a breath through the nose enters the sinuses, which then creates something called nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps oxygenate the blood by 10-18%, thus increasing the oxygen absorption in the lungs.
Nasal breathing is meant to filter the air entering in the lungs. This removes around 98% of allergens, bacteria and viruses.

Nasal breathing also warms and moistens the air going into the lungs.

Mouth Breathing Simplified
No filtrations or warming- all dust, pollen and allergens go directly to the lungs
Mouth breathing expels carbon dioxide too quickly
Decreases oxygen absorption- oxygen is absorbed on the exhale and not the inhale
Leads to a drop in PH of the blood- which triggers you to take another breath too quickly and then leads to over breathing (hyperventilation)

Benefits of Nasal Breathing
There are many benefits to nasal breathing:
- Air is filtered to removed: dust, dirt, pollen, dander and other allergens.
- Nitric oxide is produced in the nose that kills bacteria and viruses, increases blood flow, allows for better oxygen absorption in the lungs.
- Moisture is added to the air before it reaches the lungs.
- Temperature and speed is adjusted to make it easier for the lungs to utilize the air.
- Improves lung volume.
- Allows for diaphragmatic breathing.
- Activates parasympathetic (calming) nervous system.
- Decreases anxiety.
- Makes you less likely to cough
- Improves athletic performance
- Facial Growth and Development

Breathing through your mouth can change the shape of your face and alter your appearance. This is especially true for children because they are still growing.

Children whose mouth breathing goes untreated may suffer from abnormal facial, dental and neurological development. Symptoms include long, narrow faces and mouths, less defined cheekbones, small lower jaws, and “weak” chins. Other facial symptoms include gummy smiles, crooked teeth and smaller airways. Mouth breathing in children will often lead to a lifetime of sleep disordered breathing, snoring, and sleep apnea.

What Can Be Done to Treat Mouth Breathing?

Mouth breathing may seem like an easy habit to change. Just close your mouth, right? Unfortunately, for people who struggle with mouth breathing, it is not that easy. This is because habits can be difficult to change. All of the muscles—the tongue, lips, cheeks, etc—have learned to function in an “incorrect” way. The body does not actually know how to breathe normally, through the nose, and the nasal passages do not work efficiently in most cases either. In order to stop mouth breathing, the muscles must be “re-trained” to function in new ways. If the muscles are not re-trained, problems with general health, speech, orthodontic treatment, dental health, sleep, swallowing and breathing may persist throughout life.

Below are peer reviewed research studies, systemic reviews, meta studies/analysis, medical
reviews, case reports, and research papers pertaining to Orofacial Myofuntional Therapy (OMT)
and treatment/relation to the following:

The Effect of Breathing Exercises on the Nocturnal Enuresis in the Children with the Sleep-Disordered Breathing
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bbf6664f4755a71f307059f/t/5f9c4fb492d29c2275dadcd7/1604079541776/enuresis.pdf

“The nocturnal enuresis is more common in the children with the oral breathing. It appears that the relative hypoxia in these children causes low-pressure oxygen in the distal tubes of kidney, unresponsiveness to the anti-diuretic hormone, and increased production of urine temporarily, particularly during the sleep. Both of these factors can increase the volume of urine, and consequently make the urine control more difficult and finally lead to the nocturnal enuresis”

The effect of mode of breathing on craniofacial growth
https://academic.oup.com/ejo/article/29/5/426/426214?login=false

Mouth breathing, “nasal disuse”, and pediatric sleep-disordered breathing
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11325-015-1154-6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcCHaNgwtwo