7 Ways Your Body Might Change If You Start Breathing From Your Mouth

An estimated 30%-50% of adults breathe through the mouth, something that could be way more damaging than we imagined. Our noses have internal hair that filters out dust and allergens, a protection our mouth doesn’t offer. But it’s not only our health that might be in danger, but also our appearance and even posture might suffer due to this habit.

1. Your face changes.

If you breathe through your mouth, you will eventually start noticing that your face changes its structure and grow forward and downward. It’s more noticeable in children since their faces are still growing. As you breathe through your mouth, your jaw and cheeks get narrower. That, in turn, causes a change in your nose shape.

Additionally, you can develop narrow nostrils and upper lip, as well as a forward open bite.

2. You start slouching.

If you breathe through your mouth, you unconsciously tilt your head forward and your shoulders slump. As a result, you get a slouching posture which develops as a way to open your airways.

3. You have morning breath.

Many of us breathe through our mouths while we sleep, and this also can cause dryness and encourage bacteria to settle. In fact, mouth-breathing can even lead to dental decay and bleeding gums, in addition to chronic bad breath. This happens because when we breathe through the mouth, it affects the oral pH balance and changes the types of bacteria in our oral environment. Some dentists even suggest mouth-taping as a way to solve this problem.

4. Your teeth suffer.

Mouth breathing negatively affects your teeth’s alignment. Many children who prefer breathing through their mouths develop crooked teeth and a wrong bite later. The resting lip posture and tongue position also change, and orthodontic treatment becomes complicated, especially when it comes to wearing braces.

5. You drool a lot.

This might sound pretty obvious but sleeping on your back is a pose where all the saliva produced by your body stays in your mouth and doesn’t drool out. In combination with breathing through the mouth, the drooling can become even worse. Conversely, if you sleep on your side or on your belly with your mouth closed, the accumulated saliva will likely stay in your mouth.

If you feel it’s too difficult to stay in one position for the entire night, try tucking yourself in to stabilize your body.

6. You find it harder to sleep.

Less oxygen and more carbon dioxide enter your body. As a result, most of your body systems suffer. Besides, you’re more likely to snore and drool as well as suffer from chronic oxygen deprivation and sleep apnea. It is even recommended to tape your mouth at night, to help you breathe through your nose.

7. Your tongue might start to turn white.

The state of the tongue was always used to diagnose diseases in the body. The tongue shows us that something is wrong with the body before the onset of pain and can reveal the presence of illness. Back in the day, ancient healers believed that a patient wasn’t completely cured until the tongue looked healthy, even if all the symptoms of the underlying ailment had already gone away.

The formation of white or other plaque on the tongue can be caused by many things, but it is normally related to our dental hygiene. Some other things include having a dry mouth and breathing through your mouth.