Why is Mouth Breathing Bad for Your Health?

May 30, 2024
1449 Views

Mouth breathing might be the most underrated health concern. People do not give much thought to their breathing style and their side effects. Why is mouth breathing bad? For starters, it causes dry mouth and lack of energy. This blog will cover the negative impacts of chronic mouth breathing on your health and your facial features.

Why is Nose Breathing Beneficial for Health?

Our nose performs a multitude of essential health activities that the tongue is unable to do. Nasal breathing warms and moisturizes the air, preventing dryness and irritation in the throat and lungs, unlike mouth breathing, which dries out the airways. Breathing via the nose is essential for optimum lung function and increased oxygen absorption in addition to protecting the airways.

It helps us take deeper breathes, correct posture, and increases airflow resistance – all of which activate the diaphragm. The paranasal sinuses produce nitric oxide in the nose and send to the lungs, which facilitates blood vessel relaxation, and dilatation that raises oxygen intake. It also helps in lung regeneration after injury and strengthens the immune system’s resistance against airway infections.

Why Is Mouth Breathing not Good for Our Health?

Tiny hair in your nose called cilia filters away allergies, pollutants, and even microscopic insects as you breathe through it, which you cannot get with mouth breathing. You must be wondering why it matters if you breathe through your nose or mouth. Here are the negative impacts of mouth breathing: 

Dry Mouth: Mouth breathing eliminates the mouth’s natural barrier against oral microorganisms by drying out the mouth. It can cause tooth decay, toothache, gum disease, or permanent halitosis. 

Orthodontic Treatment: The whole set of adult teeth rarely fits inside the narrower dental arch of a chronic mouth-breather, which necessitates orthodontic treatment.

Sleep Apnea: Mouth breathing increases the chance of sleep apnea, which can make it challenging to obtain a good night’s sleep.

Disease Risk: Shallow mouth breathing lowers blood oxygenation, which increases the risk of metabolic disorders and heart disease.

Can Mouth Breathing Change the Shape of your Face?

Mouth breathing is bad not only because it affects our health but also because it has negative effects on the shape of our face too. It has a detrimental effect on facial growth and development because it changes the position of the tongue and the alignment and contour of the jaw. 

It can affect facial expression, pronunciation, attractiveness, and dental health, in addition to exacerbating respiratory problems by constricting the airways.

Wrapping Up!

Mouth breathing due to a cold or fever is fine, but chronic mouth breathing can make way for many health issues. Mouth breathing is bad for a number of reasons, and if you are suffering from the same issue, visit Whole Health Dental Centre and let the professionals take care of your dental health. Ring us at (703) 385-6425 and book your appointment now!

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