What are the Implications of Mouth Breathing?
The growth and development of a child’s face and oral structures are greatly influenced by the tongue and lips. When a child breathes through their nose, the lips remain closed, and the tongue rests high against the roof of the mouth (palate). This positioning helps form the shape of the palate with the teeth forming around it. This supports the proper growth of the jaw, palate, and teeth. However, when a child breathes through their mouth, the tongue rests low on the floor of the mouth which changes the shape of the palate and as a result, the way the teeth form.
This can result in dental misalignments, poor head and neck posture, sleep apnea, inability to focus, lower oxygen levels and increased fatigue, as well as speech disorders.
Structural changes in the jaw, narrowing of the palate, and dental misalignments caused by open-mouth breathing have been linked to an increase in articulation errors, impacting a child’s speaking clarity. Because the tongue is forced to rest in a more forward position, lisps are quite common.
What Causes Mouth Breathing?
A child may develop mouth breathing and open-mouth posture due to medical issues, structural issues, or learned habits. Common causes include: allergies, enlarged adenoids and tonsils, structural or genetic causes (like a tongue and/or lip tie) and oral habits (like thumb sucking and pacifier use).
What Can I Do?
A multidisciplinary team including Speech- Language Pathologists and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapists (OMTs) will work together to support proper resting posture, nasal breathing and target speech sounds for clear speech.
