Metal Mouth Message Board

Ok, so I've been meaning to ask this question for a while and just haven't had a chance. I've been told, by my hygienist that I'm a "mouth breather"...WTH?? And, that I should really try and breath through my nose as it's better for my teeth.

Me...confused.

Why would it matter what orifice, I breath out of? I am a "mouth breather" because I have pretty bad allergies, although I have been getting them better under control as of laterly. But...I have breathed out of my mouth for so long, that now when I "try" and make a conscious effort to breath out of my nose, I feel like I don't get enough air. Anybody else like this? Anybody know why it's better for my mouth/teeth? I should have asked while I was there......but didn't get to thinking real hard about it till after the fact.

Mouth breather here. Been one my whole life which is the cause of my narrow upper palate, long face, and (formerly) very crooked teeth. If only my parents knew then what I know now.

I think it's bad for your teeth not to have saliva on them. I think I read somewhere that saliva helps prevent cavities. If you breath out your mouth all night, you dry out your mouth and your teeth. No saliva all night = greater chance for cavities to form. But don't quote me on this.

I know what you mean about feeling like you do not get enough air when you breath out your nose. FWIW, I've found huge relief in that department with nasal steroids. Systemic meds didn't work as well for me. This med goes right to the source of the problem.

Mouth breather here also. Didn't know it was so bad. My nose is always stuffy. Probably have mold or something in my place

I wish I could get an oxygen tube setup like in hospitals so I could sleep better at night

I am too a mouth breather, but its due to having swollen adenoids. When i breath through my nose while laying down I feel like I get about half the air that I should be getting.

From Wikipedia:

Mouth breathing is considered harmful to the dento-oral complex as it can lead to hypotonicity of the upper lip, hyperactivity of the lower lip, distoclusion, harm to dental growth as well as bone growth, high vault of the palate, xerostomia, and adenoid face.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouth_breathing

crikey, I've always been a mouth-breather. I never knew it was a bad thing! I don't know why I do it, it's just my natural breathing!!
A gym instructor mentioned it to me once when I was on a treadmill - he said it would be a lot easier if I breathed in through my nose! I just thought 'yeh right!'

So I had an appointment yesterday for an adjustment...(not with my hygienist) and I quick asked the girl working on my teeth this question. I say quick, because literally, it seems like I never get any time for question and answer time.

So she say's to me, other than the fact that when you breath through your nose oxygen gets to your brain quicker....it is also better because the air is "cleaner"...so to speak. But..supposedly, breathing through your mouth all the time creates a breading ground for bacteria/plaque on the BACK of your teeth. She said that "mouth" breather's tend to have more plaque on the back of there front teeth, than "nose" breathers.....hmmmmmmmmm. Very interesting. Wonder if that's true....

The MAIN issue is that mouth breathing tends to cause the maxilla to grow down rather than out resulting in a MUCH less attractive face for the adult if they mouthbreathe in the developmental years.

The following features are associated with mouthbreathing and cant really be fixed without expensive surgery if it isnt corrected early enough for growth modification to take its course:

-retruded chin
-recess mandible
-Buck teeth
-Sagging eyelids
-discoloration under the eyes
-obtuse nasolabial angle
-long narrow face(particularly the jaws)
-nasal bump on the nose
-thick lips
-clockwise rotation of the mandible
-speech impediments

Basically its the culprit of the majority of unattractive people out there where fitness isnt the culprit.

tdawg7669 wrote:Basically its the culprit of the majority of unattractive people out there where fitness isnt the culprit.

I've been trying to make an effort to breathe through my nose since this thread started

Our jaws might not like being in the opened position all the time. I'm going back to my doctor to see about getting a different nasal spray that will work better.

Basically its the culprit of the majority of unattractive people out there where fitness isnt the culprit.

And to think all those people in my classes are mouth breathers........

That is what has helped me breath somewhat better. A nasal steroid. I never had issues till I moved to this state. Must be all the manure. I do try to make a very hard effort to breath through my nose, sometimes I do good, sometimes....ummm, not so much. What I need is shock collar , that way I get zapped out of breathing through my mouth!!!

tdawg7669 wrote:The MAIN issue is that mouth breathing tends to cause the maxilla to grow down rather than out resulting in a MUCH less attractive face for the adult if they mouthbreathe in the developmental years.

The following features are associated with mouthbreathing and cant really be fixed without expensive surgery if it isnt corrected early enough for growth modification to take its course:

-retruded chin
-recess mandible
-Buck teeth
-Sagging eyelids
-discoloration under the eyes
-obtuse nasolabial angle
-long narrow face(particularly the jaws)
-nasal bump on the nose
-thick lips
-clockwise rotation of the mandible
-speech impediments

Basically its the culprit of the majority of unattractive people out there where fitness isnt the culprit.

Mouth breathing can be associated with some of those issues, doesn't mean its the cause. Maybe its the other way around and some of these issues is what causes the mouth breathing.

I know when I have a cold and I have ti breathe with my mouth open over night, after a couple of nights the tips of my front teeth have gone white where they've been exposed.... no idea what this means but it disappears after a day or so but i guess that's another thing that happens!

I have a deviated septum so I tend to breathe through my mouth. My allergy meds help me breathe through my nose though but I still have a hard time for the most part. Hopefully sometime in the future after I get my braces off I can get the surgery for my septum.

My son (eleven and also in braces) has always been a mouth breather and he has terribly inflamed gums. My ortho said his mouth breathing was probably a large part of his problem. As far as I know he has no reason to breathe through his mouth, no allergies or anything, he just does. He also has a receding chin and a speech impediment, although both seem to run in our family so I don't think they have anything to do with his breathing.