Anybody a "mouth breather" out there???

[tdawg7669]

If you dont mind me asking, what impediment does he have?

[Spurfy]

His therapist says his mouth can't keep up with his brain so he speaks very quickly, and he has trouble with plosives (t and d) and th sounds. His dad says he's also noticed that he fakes his b's and p's because he has trouble getting his lips to close over his teeth. Not sure about that. Anyway, most of his troubles are brain-related rather than physical. Borderline Asperger's cases have trouble communicating.

[benj]

I was mild "mouth breather" for most of my adult life and became very interested in the subject after I got braces.

One thing I discovered was taping my mouth shut before sleeping really helped me to retrain my brain to breath through my nose only. This is no where as bad as it sounds actually, athough it feels a little weird and clostrophobic at first you quickly get used to it...

It dosnt take long for the body to readjust and I really feel sooo much more refreshed in the morning after a much deeper sleep.

http://www.facialbeauty.org/research.html

About half way through the link I posted has some interesting research about mouth breathing and facial harmony.

[fluffybottom]

One thing I discovered was taping my mouth shut before sleeping really helped me to retrain my brain to breath through my nose only.

Prior to braces, I was a mild/moderate mouth breather during the day and a severe mouth breather while I slept. I would always wake up in the morning with my mouth wide open and dry.

It may have just been coincidence but when my impacted upper canine got pulled down and my bite was corrected, it was much easier for me to breathe through my nose. I still was mouth breathing when a slept though. Until I got elastics. I was afraid that once I finished with elastics and got my braces off, I would go back to mouth-breathing at night but that hasn't happened! I guess the elastics trained me just as your mouth taping trained you!

[jensceana73]

Wow ...you taped your mouth shut..hmmmm, interesting. I don't know if I could do that. I think my brain would be like..."your dieing...your dieing...your dieing..." When I consciously shut my mouth to breath through my nose, I almost feel like I'm "holding" my breath, so to speak. I am getting better though. And that was an interesting web site. I do find that when I breath through my nose, I get a waaayyyyy better sleep. And my gums don't seem to be so sensitive in the morning, so....we'll see. The more I think about it, the better I do....so we'll see at my next visit if SHE notices....because that'll be the tell all.

[Theresa48]

Since getting braces I have become a mouth breather at night...I HATE waking up with a dry mouth and my lips sticking to my braces! I bought mouthwash for dry mouth, which helped a little. It is bad for your mouth to get all dried up evidently. Sooooo, I kind of put a pillow under my chin to keep my mouth shut while sleeping...but I never thought of tape! I also keep a large glass of water and lip balm by my bed...

[seriousthinker]

Hi,

I mustn't be generally but when I have a cold boy do I notice. My teeth become sensitive and white patches really show up on them. When my cold goes my teeth go back to normal.

ST

ETA C4tty, wow, almost identicle reply!

[benj]

Wow ...you taped your mouth shut..hmmmm, interesting. I don't know if I could do that. I think my brain would be like..."your dieing...your dieing...your dieing..." When I consciously shut my mouth to breath through my nose, I almost feel like I'm "holding" my breath, so to speak. I am getting better though. And that was an interesting web site. I do find that when I breath through my nose, I get a waaayyyyy better sleep. And my gums don't seem to be so sensitive in the morning, so....we'll see. The more I think about it, the better I do....so we'll see at my next visit if SHE notices....because that'll be the tell all.

There is also a breathing exercise called "Buteyko Nose Clearing Exercise" which helps to clear the nose making breathing easier for asthmatics and people with sleep apnea. I do this exercise before taping with medical tape to make sure everything is working properly. This helps put me at ease a lot and it definitely helps with snoring too. Some people only tape the centre part of the mouth and leave the corners open a just little bit. I'm not an expert on this but really don't care if anyone disagrees with it as it has really worked wonders for me. Just remember to vaseline the lips lightly before so they dont come off with the tape!

[drgnchsr36]

Yikes. I'm not a mouth breather, but my son is. I will definitely ask his pediatric dentist about it next time we go in...