3 Ways Habitual Mouth Breathing Will Disfigure Your Face
Throughout the years, mouth breathers have been portrayed by Hollywood as being bumbling idiots. Dentists have also documented profound facial changes resulting from habitual mouth breathing.
These include:
- Narrowed Jaws
- Crooked Teeth
- Small Nasal Cavity
Let us look at the process by which each of these are caused when the mouth is used for breathing instead of eating.
Narrowed Jaws
The width of a persons’ jawline is seen as a marker for beauty and health.
Mouth breathing can hinder the full development of the jawline in children because it disconnects the tongue from the roof of the mouth. Here, the roof of the mouth is the scaffold that maintains the width between both sides of the jaw. The tongue plays its part by molding this scaffold and keeping it wide thus producing the appearance of a wide, attractive face.
This practice in adults, regardless of having a well-developed jawline can cause a gradual narrowing of the face as well.
Crooked Teeth
We all love seeing a beautiful smile with well-shaped rows of teeth.
Narrowed jaws, due to mouth breathing reduces the amount of space available in the mouth for the growth of well-shaped teeth. As a result, the teeth grow out at odd angles to provide space for the full complement, making them appear crooked. Often, this leads to their removal and the growth of abscesses which further disfigures the face.
During adulthood, many persons have no space left for the growth of wisdom teeth and it becomes a war for scarce real estate in their mouths.
Small Nasal Cavity
Often, habitual mouth breathers appear with a face that lacks vibrance.
The nose shares the same scaffold as the jaw and is also affected by the position of the tongue in the mouth. Habitually breathing through the mouth therefore causes an underdeveloped nasal cavity. This is aided by underutilization of the nasal cavity making it difficult for the person to properly filter and process air.
As the nasal cavity atrophies the individual has poor energy due to the reduced oxygen uptake and nitric oxide creation.
The way we breathe can have a significant impact on how our faces develop, and the practice of breathing from the mouth does not create a positive outcome.
Importantly, parents should instill proper breathing practices in children as the habits are difficult to train in later life. Especially with all the maladies mentioned.
You are giving them the gifts of energy, concentration, and stable mood for later life.
This story was previously published by me as an answer on Quora. Follow this link to see the post.
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