By brushing twice and flossing at least once a day, you are taking huge steps to maintain excellent oral health. But have you ever thought about how the way you breathe affects your smile? You have the ability to breathe through both your mouth and your nose, but one of them is more harmful than the other when it comes to your oral health. Continue reading to learn about the causes of mouth breathing, why it’s an issue, and what you can do to discontinue this habit.
What Are the Causes of Mouth Breathing?
There are many different reasons why you could be breathing through your mouth more than normal. Here are a handful of the most common:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Common cold
- Enlarged tonsils
- Sinus polyps
- Deviated septum
- Sleep apnea
- Anxiety
What Are the Consequences of Mouth Breathing?
Mouth breathing can be an issue for your smile. Here are some of the most harmful:
- Dry mouth: A common problem that comes along with mouth breathing is dry mouth. This issue increases your risk for all sorts of different problems, including tooth decay, periodontal disease, and halitosis.
- Low oxygen concentration of the blood: This is associated with high blood pressure and heart failure.
- Low energy: When you aren’t getting enough oxygen into your blood, you can experience poor sleep quality and lower overall energy levels. This means that your work productivity could suffer. Children who have this problem tend to have a harder time focusing when they’re at school.
- Sleep apnea: Your risk for sleep apnea goes up with mouth breathing.
How Can You Tell That You Mouth Breathe?
You might not realize that you are mouth breathing. Here are a few signs that this may be an issue that you are dealing with:
- Snoring
- Dry mouth
- Bad breath
- Hoarseness
- Tiredness and irritability
- Chronic fatigue
- Brain fog
- Dark circles beneath the eyes
What Can You Do About Mouth Breathing?
If you find that you are regularly mouth breathing, this is something that you should mention to your dentist during your next routine checkup. You might have an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. By working together, you can get to the bottom of it and formulate a plan to keep it from occurring in the future.
Mouth breathing is harmful, so you should be looking out for these common signs. This way, you can prioritize both your dental and overall health!
About the Author
Dr. Doug Sewright is an experienced dentist who has been working in the field for over three decades. He earned his dental doctorate from the University of Minnesota Dental School. He works alongside Dr. Reza Jafari and Dr. Sierra Ferreira at his practice in Phoenix, AZ. For more ways to keep your smile healthy or to schedule an appointment at his office, visit his website or call (602) 404-3483.