The most natural breathing at rest is nasal breathing, i.e. breathing with the mouth closed. This breathing is the most physiological and functional for children and adults.
Mouth breathing can have short and medium term consequences on your children's health.
Find out what to do if your child is a mouth-breather, and what the consequences may be for his or her oral health, including traitements d’orthodontie.
Your child is a mouth breather, why might this be a problem?
La respiration buccale n’est pas la plus fonctionnelle pour le corps. En effet, elle ne permet pas d’oxygéner correctement le cerveau et l’organisme. Cette mauvaise oxygénation peut avoir des conséquences sur le bon développement dentaire de l’enfant.
De plus, une malformation possible du palais peut survenir suite à une respiration buccale. C’est pourquoi des solutions existent en cas de mâchoire trop petite, c’est notamment le cas de l’growth activator.
Mouth breathing in toddlers can have different origins, temporary or not. Among the most frequent causes we can mention :
- A cold or an allergic episode,
- A deviated or obstructed nasal septum,
- An enlargement of the tonsils that impedes nasal breathing.
The consequences of mouth breathing
Mouth breathing can cause several problems for the proper development of children. It is therefore important to change this habit.
The main consequences of mouth breathing are:
- Sleep apnea,
- Coughing and snoring during the night,
- Problems on the growth of the face, with a more elongated and narrow face,
- Atypical swallowing,
- Concentration and behavioral concerns,
- Chronic fatigue,
- Dark circles,
- Low language,
- Malformations of the palate.
Oral breathing also has consequences on orthodontic treatments such as l’orthodontie interceptive. Indeed, the poor positioning of the mouth during the night makes the treatments longer, less effective and more unstable.
Therefore, it is important to correct mouth breathing problems before orthodontic treatment is performed.
Treatment and prevention of mouth breathing in children
When to see a dentist if your child is a mouth-breather?
If you notice your child snoring at night or coughing a lot, he or she may have mouth breathing.
If there are traces of saliva on the pillow, this is another clue. If your child has dark circles and always looks tired, this is also due to poor nighttime breathing.
N’hésitez pas et consultez un dentiste spécialiste des enfants pour résoudre le problème rapidement, qui pourra proposer des solutions avant d’envisager des traitements d’interception orthodontique.
Correcting your child's mouth breathing
Mouth breathing in children can be caused by a variety of factors, some temporary, some not.
If you have noticed your child breathing through his or her mouth for a long time and when he or she is not sick, consult a pediatrician to determine the cause. Depending on the problem, your child may see an ENT specialist, a pedodontist, an orthodontist or a speech therapist.
A speech therapist or a maxillofacial physiotherapist can help him/her to do exercises to learn to breathe through the nose and to re-muscle his/her facial muscles.
An ENT specialist will be able to manage an excessive volume of tonsils, via an ablation if necessary.
A pedodontist or orthodontist may recommend night braces to better position the jaw.
Discover through our dedicated articles which are the cost of orthodontic treatment and the remboursements d’orthodontie possible for the care of your child.
