Burke, Fairfax and Fairfax Station, VA
When you’ve been exercising hard or have allergies or a cold, you may find yourself breathing through your mouth instead of your nose. This isn’t typically cause for concern, but it shouldn’t become a habit. Chronic mouth breathing can lead to various health issues and is especially detrimental to oral health. Let’s take a look today with our airway dentist in Burke, Dr. Pamela Marzban, at why mouth breathing is so bad for our health — and especially our teeth.
How is mouth breathing bad for my teeth?
Chronic mouth-breathing negatively affects oral health in several ways:
Dry mouth
This is the most immediate effect of chronic mouth breathing: it dries out the saliva in your mouth. While we don’t usually give a lot of thought to saliva, it is a critically important part of oral health. It helps wash away food particles and neutralizes acids produced by mouth bacteria that lead to bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease.
Tooth decay
Bacteria in the mouth create acids that cause tooth enamel to wear down. Saliva helps neutralize those acids. Without saliva, the acids accumulate, increasing the risk of tooth decay and cavities.
Gum disease
Without adequate saliva, harmful bacteria grow unchecked in the mouth. Without strong oral hygiene, the bacteria accumulate around the gum line, forming a thin, sticky film of plaque that can harden into tartar. Eventually, pockets of plaque can start developing along and under the gum line. This leads to gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease that is characterized by inflammation, redness and swelling of the gums.
Bad breath (Halitosis)
The bacteria that accumulate in the mouth due to a lack of saliva from chronic mouth breathing produce sulfur compounds, which are often the culprit behind bad breath.
Oral deformities
Children can be chronic mouth breathers. Sometimes it’s because of enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which is a problem that requires surgical intervention. Mouth breathing in kids can lead to developmental issues; the mouth and jaw grow differently than they otherwise would. Children who are chronic mouth breathers often have a high, narrow palate and a receding jaw. These structural changes narrow the airway, making it more susceptible to collapsing during sleep. This increases the child’s risk of developing sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea
Mouth breathing can cause sleeping disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep. These disruptions (called apneas) are caused by a partial or complete airway blockage and can happen dozens or even 100 or more times a night. The brain startles a person awake when s/he stops breathing, resulting in repeated disruptions to the sleep cycle.
The lack of oxygen in the body has been linked to:
- Cardiovascular issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke
- Excessive daytime sleepiness that impacts work performance and increases the risk of accidents
- Increased risk of obesity and diabetes
- Depression, anxiety, memory problems and difficulty concentrating
How does mouth breathing cause sleep apnea?
- Airway collapse — Mouth breathing makes the tongue and soft tissues of the mouth more likely to fall back into the throat, especially when a person lies on their back. This can obstruct the airway, making it more difficult to breathe and increasing the likelihood of apneas.
- Reduced muscle tone — Unlike nose breathing which encourages proper muscle tone in the airway, helping to keep it open, mouth breathing leads to reduced muscle tone in the throat and tongue. This makes the airway more prone to collapse.
- Inflammation and congestion — Chronic mouth breathing can cause dryness and irritation in the throat and airway, leading to inflammation and congestion that narrows the airway.
How do I prevent and manage mouth breathing?
Preventing and managing mouth breathing depends largely on the cause behind it. If it’s allergies, then an allergist can help. If it’s enlarged tonsils and adenoids, then surgery to remove them will help. Practice nasal breathing; some people even place a piece of Scotch tape over their lips at night to keep their mouths shut while sleeping. This may take a few attempts before you keep it on all night, but it eventually works! Our neuromuscular dentist office in Fairfax can also help through the use of oral appliance therapy.
What is oral appliance therapy?
Using a 3D image of your mouth created with digital scans and X-rays, we create a custom-fitted oral appliance, similar to a mouthguard, for you to wear at night. The comfortable plastic guard corrects the position of your tongue and jaw, keeping the airway open.
Sleep apnea treatment in Burke, Fairfax, and Fairfax Station, Virginia
If you have OSA or if you have tooth decay, cavities or gum disease resulting from chronic mouth breathing, we can help. Call Dr. Marzban at 703-323-8200 to schedule an appointment today.