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Mouth Breathing

by Karlyn Wassink MS, CCC-SLP

“You should breath through your mouth as often as you eat through your nose.”

Breathing through our nose is preferred over mouth breathing as nasal breathing not only provides filtration of air but also allows better oxygen to get to the brain. Nasal breathing also promotes proper tongue resting posture in the mouth, which is crucial for oral, facial, and dental bone development. Occasional mouth breathing is seen when children suffer from seasonal allergies or have a short-term illness because the nasal congestion and is not of great concern. If a child chronically mouth breaths, the tongue sits low and forward in the mouth. This can cause long-term problems with teeth alignment, changes in facial structure, sleep, and production of speech sounds. The speech sounds most often impacted are “s, t, d, ch, sh” and “dj”. A speech-language pathologist can not only address speech sounds that are impacted but can also work on proper tongue resting posture for children 4 years and up. 

If you have concerns regarding your child’s chronic mouth breathing, please consult with your pediatrician, dental provider,  ENT or ​contact us.

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