Sometimes, little things people do automatically can have major effects on their health. There’s nothing more automatic than breathing, but even that can have an impact on your quality of life.
In particular, breathing through your mouth can have serious negative consequences on your oral health. Whether you’re struggling with allergies or it’s an ingrained habit, here’s why mouth breathing can cause problems for your teeth.
Why is Mouth Breathing a Problem?
When you breathe through your mouth, that brings more outside air into contact with your tongue, teeth, and gums, naturally making your mouth much drier.
When your mouth dries out, it hinders its ability to produce saliva, which is a much bigger problem than it sounds. Saliva serves as the mouth’s natural cleanser, breaking down food particles and carrying them into the stomach. Without that saliva, those food particles will remain in the mouth. When food starts to build up it allows the bacteria in the mouth to flourish, radically increasing the risk of gum disease and tooth decay.
Written out like this, it may sound like a little bit of a stretch. But try leaving your mouth open for a while, then leave it closed. You’ll notice how dry your mouth begins to feel after even a few minutes. If someone breathes through their mouth often, that level of dry mouth can start to have serious negative effects on oral health.
What Do I Do If I’m a Mouth Breather?
There are few habits more ingrained than the way you breathe, but as you can see, fixing a mouth-breathing habit is important. If you notice yourself mouth breathing, try to close your mouth and breathe through your nose. Be vigilant. By making the decision to breathe through your nose often enough, you can start to make a change.
Of course, there are times when mouth breathing is necessary, like when exercising or if you have a cold. In situations like that, it’s important to counter dry mouth in other ways. Staying hydrated is the most important one, so make sure to drink lots of water if you’re in a situation where you need to breathe through your mouth.
Mouth breathing might not seem like a big deal, but even these little things can seriously affect your life. By correcting this habit, you can bring yourself that much closer to immaculate oral health.
About Our Practice
At Stone Street Dental, the thing we care about most is providing excellent, caring dentistry to our patients. To us, you’re not just a set of teeth; you’re a member of our community, so we want to protect your oral health throughout the course of your life.
If you have any questions about mouth breathing, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (903) 455-6075.
