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Why mouth breathing causes OSA

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Posted by Sandman on December 17, 2009 at 08:18:02:


I recently received a post with this question.

"So a child that snores due to tonsils or adenoids is likely to end up with a smaller mandible as an adult? Why?"

Here is my answer:

To start - a child snoring is a major red flag. Children should never, never snore.

Many studies have been done to show the relationship between the growth of facial bone and nasal resistance. The first was on an infant Rhesus monkey. They took some string and closed the nostrils (partial or full, could find the study online). Once this was done the monitored the growth of the oral cavity. As soon as the nostrils will occluded the mandible stopped growing. A few month later they opened the nostrils and the mandible began to grow.

Why would this happen? Because when there is resistance when breathing through the nose, the infant or small child will use their mouth to breath. In order for the oral bone structure to develop properly the mouth must be closed, especially during sleep, so the tongue will put pressure on the mandible to move it forward and pressure on the soft palate to spread it out. The result - the tongue can fit comfortably in the mouth. With the mouth open neither of these will happen and you end up with a narrow high arched palate and a small lower jaw. Typically the person will have a long face, have had braces, and in some cases men will have a beard to make up for the recessed chin. Your tongue should fit flat against the roof of your mouth, if it doesn't you probably have a narrow high arched palate which is likely the result of mouth breathing. Not having a cavity where the tongue fits properly makes it easy for the tongue to fall back into the throat during sleep. The result - sleep apnea.

If the child is young enough the palate can be spread out with orthodontic tools. Again your palate (roof of your mouth) should be nearly flat not arched.

Remember if we can't get the air we need through our nose we will open our mouths to breath which isn't normal and results is sleep apnea either at an early age or later in life.

Best wishes,
Sandman

Disclaimer, I am not an MD and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice. If you feel that you need assistance with medications and/or diagnosis, you should seek medical advice from a qualified physician.

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PLEASE ONLY CLICK THE SUBMIT FOLLOW UP BUTTON ONCE!!. Thanks, Sandman

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