Mouth Breathing

Mouth breathing is a bad habit usually acquired early in life due to a nasal congestion. This habit however can cause a lot of health problems. When children breathe through their mouth, large volumes of untreated air go directly into their sensitive lung passages.

Mouth breathing is directly related to the majority of ear, nose, and throat infections, inflamed tonsils and adenoids.

When children breathe through their mouth, they overbreathe or take in too much air. The brain wants to slow down the air flow. As a result, it will send signals down to goblet cells to produce mucous and slow down breathing. That is why a lot of kids have stuffy noses.

Mouth breathing makes the breathing tubes much more susceptible to spasm which can cause wheezing and asthma attacks.

Children who are mouth breathers may suffer from abnormal facial and dental development, such as long, narrow faces, small and narrow jaws, gummy smiles, and crooked teeth.

Poor sleeping habits that result from mouth breathing can adversely affect growth and academic performance of the children. Children who mouth breathe at night, typically do not sleep well. It can cause them to be tired and sleepy during the day. They may have problem concentrating at school as well as exhibit behavioral problems. Many of these children are misdiagnosed with ADHD.