Is it okay to breathe through the mouth? This is a question most mothers worry about. Today, we take you through the subject and whether or not it is normal for your child to breathe through this mouth. Read on for more.
You might have noted that your child breathes through his mouth. Well, a sizable section of kids experiences mouth breathing, although it cannot be accepted as a normal process of the body. Breathing is normal when the air is inhaled and exhaled through the nose. The nostrils function to dehumidify the air. In case you find that your child is breathing through his mouth, it may be symptom of nasal congestion. It prevents the child to inhale enough air through the nostrils. Common causes of this obstruction include nasal polyps and allergy. However, certain kids habitually breathe through their mouth. This, too, is as harmful as obstruction. Their brain stimulates certain cells in the nose to produce mucous and this slows down the breathing. As a result, it creates a cycle of mouth breathing, which harms their health. The triggered mucous blocks the nasal passages and leads to mouth breathing.
Read More: 11 Home Remedies to Treat Asthma During Pregnancy
What are the Effects of Mouth Breathing?
Whatever the reason be, mouth breathing can have several negative impacts on your child’s health. You must seek professional medical advice from the doctors if you find that your child breathes through the mouth. Here are the harmful effects of mouth breathing.
Various complications
At times, it makes the mouth dry and this leads to inflammations in the tonsils. Mouth breathing also causes dry coughs, the tongue becomes swollen and the child experiences bad breath. At times, it causes caries and gingivitis.
Faster breath
One of the most harmful effects on the body is that they get less amounts of oxygen that normal breathers. The pattern of inhaling and exhaling is gentler in normal breathers. The number of breaths in these kids varies between 10 and 12. However, in case of mouth breathing, the rate becomes must faster. They take 12-20 breaths per minute, which makes them tired.
Less oxygen circulation
Normal breathing helps to circulate the oxygen in all body cells and removes the carbon dioxide. The oxygen gets absorbed during inhaling only. As a result of the back pressure in lungs during normal breathing, the oxygen gets more time to be transferred to the blood through the functioning of the lungs. This process involves carbon dioxide too. When the child exhales through the mouth, the carbon dioxide is eliminated too fast to complement the breathing process. This results in less absorption of oxygen.
Lack of nitric acid production
When the child breathes through the nose, it results in an increased production of nitric acid in the nasal cavity. This increases the efficiency of absorption of oxygen by 18%. However, with mouth breathing, this nitric acid is not produced. This too, has a negative impact on the absorption of oxygen in the blood.
As a result of reduced absorption of oxygen over a long period of time, other complications like low energy levels, lack of stamina and sleeping disturbances take place. The nostrils become inflamed and possibilities of infections in the upper respiratory track may increase. It can even cause ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) problems. These may cause serious disorders when the children grow up.
Affects the shape of the face
As a result of mouth breathing, the growth of the face may also be affected. During normal breathing, the tongue gets a support from the palate and does not touch the teeth. The muscles in the tongue help to balance the external pressure on the teeth. In mouth breathers, the position of the tongue remains low and as a result, the cheek muscles exert more pressure on the upper set of teeth. This affects the growth of the mouth. Children who breathe through the mouth get an undeveloped maxilla. The palate is also higher in their mouth, and the lower jaw drops down to a certain extent. As a result, the shape of the face becomes elongated.
After identifying the cause of mouth breathing, the experts recommend the necessary treatment. It is not always easy to detect whether your child is a mouth breather or not. You may approach a dentist or other medical practitioner to know whether your child is a mouth breather or not. If mouth breathing is not treated at a young age, it can result in long-lasting problems.
Read More: Dry Drowning: Signs, symptoms, treatment
References:
https://www.livestrong.com/article/217330-mouth-breathing-in-kids/
