This a a blog that will hopefully help parents recognize and understand the importance of a child being able to breath nasally. No doubt, mouth breathing can cause assorted health related in adults and children and even changes in the shape of the face and muscles, This often leads to less than desirable facial features such as elongated faces, overbites, facial asymmetry, and TMJ pain as well.
I wanted to share this email received from a concerned mother regarding her 4 year old and her reply simply following a suggested non-surgical protocol. Please note the final outcome in this situation was simply a dairy allergy. Truly changing her sons life by testing these issues.
Dr. Konig,
Thank you for your reply.
He is mouth breathing at night and his mouth is open during the day. How do we fix that?
We took him to an ENT who said there is nothing he sees that is concerning but because he is congested (which he has been for years now) it’s not possible to tell if his adenoids are enlarged unless we get an x-ray. He also said he’d probably advise doing nothing even if the adenoids are enlarged because my son is still sleeping well at night.
He is not tongue tied according to the ENT and dentist.
Please can you advise me regarding the mouth breathing at night and the mouth open during the day.
Thank you,
Av
Our reply after speaking to the Mom:
Av,
Mouthbreathing is detrimental to jaw development and also does not allow your son to get better oxygen with a nitric acid attaches to it.
https://www.konigdds.com/blog/how-does-mouth-breathing-affect-my-face-and-life/
Need to find out why he is congested: usual steps ( I have seen your son so these are suggestions only:
- Get off all dairy for 2 weeks and see if this is a dairy allergy (most common)
- If that does not work, get off gluten for 2 weeks
- See an allergist
- Find a pediatric ENT who understands the detrimental affects of mouthbreathing
Once he can breathe, consider working with a myomunchee for jaw development.
So glad you are recognizing these issues.
Best,
Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, LVIF
One week later:
Dr. Konig,
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I am so grateful for your advice. We took my son off dairy and in just one week his congestion cleared up after having been congested for years. He is breathing through his nose at night and often has his mouth closed during the day. His tongue is in him mouth now unless he is speaking (I suppose he is already accustomed to making sounds with his tongue out but hopefully a speech therapist can help us fix that). Do you think there may be “damage” from the past years and do you recommend a myomunchee? Would that perhaps help his speech? Or do you think we caught and fixed this early enough that the issues are resolved?
Thank you again. I am so excited about this.
Av
If you have questions regarding Houston TMJ Treatment or Houston Myofunctional Therapy or Airway Centric Dentistry, please feel free to contact our office, Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, LVIF, 713-668-2289
