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Mouth Breathing

Mouth breathing disrupts proper craniofacial growth and development. It can lead to an underdeveloped face and consequently, a narrower or smaller airway which is considered a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea. Mouth breathing can have a significant impact on the mental and physical health of children, as it can be associated with poor quality of sleep, academic, cognitive and behavioral concerns.

Some signs and symptoms of mouth breathing include dry and cracked lips, dark circles under the eyes, increased cavities, sleep disorders, and a high, narrow palate. Some contributors to mouth breathing include allergies or sinus problems, chronic nasal congestion, enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids, low tongue posture, asthma, and food sensitivites.

Nasal Breathing

Nasal breathing filters out dust particles and allergens while warming and humidifying the air that enters the lungs.  Unlike oral breathing, nasal breathing allows us to inhale nasal nitric oxide, which may help reduce respiratory tract infections and improve overall immune function due to it’s anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.  It also increases overall lung volume, and optimizing oxygen delivery to the body. The nose knows best!

OMT

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) is a therapeutic approach that provides neuromuscular re-education to the muscles of the orofacial complex to promote nasal breathing, adequate lip closure, proper tongue resting position, and a healthy swallowing pattern.

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) are characterized by oral and facial muscle dysfunction that may interfere with normal growth and development affecting breathing, speech, chewing, swallowing, and oral rest posture. Dysfunction and imbalance of the orofacial muscles can negatively impact breastfeeding, oral hygiene, facial growth and esthetics, stability of orthodontic treatment, temporomandibular joint movement, posture, digestion, sleep and more.

Noxious Oral Habits

Noxious (or maladaptive) oral habits are repetitive behaviors that have been implied to contribute to the underdevelopment of facial and dental structures. Some examples include thumb/finger sucking, nail biting, prolonged pacifier or bottle feeding, and extended sippy cup use. Possible consequences include crooked teeth, open bite, facial asymmetry, jaw joint disorders, and speech sound errors.

Oral Ties

Oral ties are commonly referred to as Tethered Oral Tissues, Tongue Ties, Lip Ties, and/or Buccal Ties. These restrictions can be present in different areas of the mouth (under the tongue, under the lips, and inside the cheeks), and they restrict proper mobility and function of the orofacial complex.

Often times, these tethered tissues need to be released with a procedure performed by a specialized provider. In order to properly prepare and heal from these procedures, OMT must be completed before and after the release of the oral ties. OMT is imperative before any oral tie release to create awareness of oral rest posture, maximize range of motion and function, and strengthen the orofacial muscles. Ongoing OMT is just as important after the release to re-establish healthy neuromuscular patterns (at rest, as well as for breathing, chewing, swallowing, and speaking).

Tongue Thrust

Tongue thrust is a condition in which the tongue protrudes past the teeth and/or lips at rest, when speaking, chewing and swallowing. This may result in an open bite, misalignment of the teeth, or orthodontic relapse. Some signs include oral habits (like thumb sucking), open mouth breathing, and speech concerns (such as a lisp). Some causes include sucking habits (finger or prolonged pacifier use), breathing difficulty, poor muscle tone and tongue tie.

SDB in Peds

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a general term for breathing difficulties during sleep that involves a disruption in respiratory and airflow patterns. It can be particularly detrimental to children's physical, psychosocial and mental health, and overall well-being. SDB includes both Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as well as Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS).

Some possible signs and symptoms your child may be suffering from SDB include mouth breathing, snoring/audible breathing, pauses in breathing, gasping for air, behavioral issues, poor school performance, changes in mood, thumb sucking, bed-wetting, and teeth grinding.

SDB in Adults

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a general term used to describe a spectrum of breathing difficulties that occur during sleep. Associated symptoms can be mild or suggestive of more serious health concerns.

SDB is more accurately described as Breathing-Disordered Sleep since nighttime symptoms stem from dysfunctional breathing during the day. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is one of the most serious and common forms of sleep-disordered breathing. It involves repeated upper airway collapse during sleep despite an ongoing effort to breathe.

The resulting airway obstruction can cause pauses in breathing, a drop in oxygen saturation, and disruptions in sleep. OSA is more common in men than women. Additional risk factors include increased age, weight, neck size, alcohol use and smoking. Patients with OSA are often at higher risk of long-term complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

There are a variety of treatment or management options such as weight loss and lifestyle changes, surgical interventions (such as the removal of adenoids and/or tonsils), Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines, Oral Appliance Therapy, and/or Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.

Tongue Tie

View Video with Dr. Baxter on tongue ties.

Lost Art of Chewing

Mary Bourke

Breathing

Roger Price

Introduction

Patrick McKeown