Mouth Breathing Affect Adults?

[MrFox]

Is there any evidence/ studies or even theories (by respected professionals) that mouth breathing can lengthen adult faces?

Does anyone know WHY mouth breathing negatively influence children's facial growth?
I've read that the force from the tongue resting on the lower jaw encourages it to grow downwards, but then someone could breathe through their nose with their mouth closed and tongue resting on the bottom jaw and still experience downward growth? Nothing to do with the mouth being open?

[dantheman]

It has to do with balance of muscles. Open mouth posture leads to a net inward pressure that can cause a high arched palate. There is also lack of pressure upward regulating maxillary growth.

That being said, I have met people with chronic nasal breathing issues without the classic look, and others with normal breathing patterns and the long-face look. I think chewing, swallowing, resting muscle tone, genetics etc, all play a complex role together.

In my case I only had night time nasal breathing issues.

[MrFox]

Thank you, speaking of high arched palates, if tongue posture is able to remodel bone and you had the whole tongue on the roof of the mouth exerting upwards pressure, surely that would cause the palate to become higher? Then that would make it harder to breathe through the nose as high palates restrict nasal airway size.

[terry947]

When you swallow your tongue is supposed to suck and press up against the palate. So that wouldn't create a high arched palate. Also yes mouth breathing does affect adults. My dad is a good example.

Edited: meant to say it wouldnt

[terry947]

my theory as to why a high arch palate is created is from downward growth.

Is the palatal ceiling at the same relative position and the actual pre-maxilla (the bone that holds the teeth) drop. SO that actual top position of the palate is the same its just that i dropped causing it to look high arched. Not to mention people with high vaulted palates usually have narrow arches as well which makes it look even MORE vaulted. If that makes sense.

[Charles-Guillaume]

Supposedly bones continue to remodel throughout one's lifetime. If mouth breathing affects bone development at all, it should continue doing so in adulthood.

[molestrip]

That's because no one really knows but it is a well accepted theory. It started with experiments in the 70s on monkeys, where they blocked their noses and observed the results though one could argue that it started centuries ago since mouth breathing has been considered an insult for a long time. I haven't read it but in my mental model, tongue pressed against the arch exerts a continuous light force out and forward against the teeth of the maxilla. With the mouth closed, teeth interlock and the mandible follows the direction of growth of the maxilla but when they're separated, gravity dictates growth. Bones just grow but need to be guided where to grow.

I don't think it matters as an adult. You can see a few mm of change as a bruxer after 20-30 years, heavy forces for 1/3 the day. Remodeling is a different process than growth and the bones harden after 30. It's a health problem though. Mouth dries out and gum disease, cavities, even cardiovascular disease become more likely. Infections are more common and the nose performs some other functions as I recall. Sometimes I wonder if that's related to my chronically elevated serum bicarb. Of more significance, recovering from jaw surgery is much harder when your mouth is banded shut and your nose is clogged up. All the air goes through the teeth then.

[Lazlo]

Bones do remodel as an adult.  I read that it starts again after 40.'

IS this good or bad?

[GJ]

On Joe Rogan's podcast he said he's been a mouth breather his entire life (and said he had turbinates removed to breathe better). He has a very short face, and is probably handsome by most standards.

[Lazlo]

On Joe Rogan's podcast he said he's been a mouth breather his entire life (and said he had turbinates removed to breathe better). He has a very short face, and is probably handsome by most standards.

what does it mean to be a "mouth breather"? I mean that you can't breathe through your nose?

[Schrödingers Jaw]

what does it mean to be a "mouth breather"? I mean that you can't breathe through your nose?

Yes, I believe an orthodontic named John Mew came up with the idea (or theory) that how you breathe and how you rest your toungue influences how your face grow. A child who learns to breathe through his mouth will have less support on the upper dental arch and thus on his maxilla bone. This will cause it to grow downward rather than forward.

Believe it or not, breathing through your mouth can actually change the shape of your face and alter your appearance. This is especially true for children because they are still growing. Children whose mouth breathing goes untreated may suffer from abnormal facial and dental development. Symptoms include long, narrow faces and mouths, less defined cheek bones, small lower jaws, and “weak” chins. Other facial symptoms include gummy smiles and crooked teeth. A “mouth breather” facial expression is typically not viewed as an attractive or desirable appearance to have.

[carlos30]

I was told by reputable orthodontist that I should learn proper tong posture in order to prevent condition from worsening. Must be sth on this.

[molestrip]

There is a correlation between mouth breathing and long face syndrome but not in every case. I was a 50% mouth breather and have major face issues. My brother was a 100% mouth breather with bad asthma yet his face is fine. But the stats as a whole show it to be correlated with mouth breathing. As to tongue posture, well there's certainly something with swallowing habits but try and breath through your nose with your mouth on the floor of your mouth. Then try and breath through your mouth with the tongue on the roof. You'll see quickly that all you need to do is learn to breath the right way and the tongue follows.

Remodeling after 40 involved shrinking of the facial skeleton. The jaws both recede, hence the reason surgeons don't want to claim OSA is cured for life. The cheekbones pull back a few mm. This process continues until the day you die. Hence the reason I want to hold off on doing my cheekbones, I can go from aging 15 years ahead of everyone else to being 15 years behind everyone else, not to mention getting better technology. I think it's a health issue too, at least if you value vision. Mental health is not to be underappreciated either. 50 is a good age to address them if you can wait.

[SGseeker]

http://claimingpower.com/tongue-posture/