Mouth Breathing HabitsWhy Are We Seeing So Much More Mouth Breathing, Gum Disease and Poor Sleep in Modern Times?
If we look at the skulls of ancient Egyptians, we see that they had very healthy dentitions and almost no crooked or crowded teeth. They also were nose breathers. This is no coincidence. The face and teeth grow around the airway and are intimately connected.
Up until the Industrial Revolution, we ate a much coarser diet. Tougher diets exercise the muscles and help us develop a good airway, big jaws and straight teeth. Our ancestors were nose breathers, what nature intended, because they ate coarser foods, breast fed their babies longer and were outside in the sunshine. Nose breathing is one of the single most important habits for a healthy mouth and body. If we look at animals we see that they all breathe through their noses. Only dogs breathe through their mouths when the weather is very hot, to cool themselves down.
The lifestyle changes associated with processed foods, moving indoors and early weaning have contributed to the epidemic of open mouth postures and mouth breathing we are seeing today.
Since the face grows around the airway, children who mouth breathe grow into adults with underdeveloped jaws, small airways and crooked teeth. Dr. Christian Guilleminault, who coined the term sleep apnea, found that children who mouth breathe grow into adults with sleep apnea.
What Do Mouth Breathing Issues Have To Do With Gum Disease?
Gum disease is an inflammatory condition that leads to tooth loss. It starts when certain disease-causing bacteria collect along the gumline then go deeper and deeper inside the pocket and cause the supporting tissues and bone around the teeth to dissolve.
Mouth breathing, whether during sleep or while awake, is a major reason why people develop gum disease in our modern society. A dry mouth has less lubrication, so food and plaque stick more, there is less protective IgA and the environment is more acidic and conducive for developing caries and periodontal disease.
In addition, the open mouth posture from mouth breathing weakens the posterior part of the tongue so it can not posture against the palate. This dysfunction contributes the tongue falling back in the throat at night, leading to snoring and sleep apnea
As a periodontist, I am incorporating screening for mouth breathing habits, sleep and oral dysfunction as part of my routine examination. I know that my periodontal therapies will relapse much sooner is the underlying mouth breathing habit is not addressed.
How do I convert my mouth breathing patients to nose breathers? I develop a customized treatment plan that may include myofunctional therapy, a specific appliance worn at night to promote nose breathing, mouth taping and possible frenectomy. My treatment plan may also include expansion of the dental arches if there is inadequate tongue space.
I love to teach dentists a new way of examining patients to uncover and treat the biological risk factors for dental and implant failures. Email me to find out more.