Our mouth has its own ecosystem, and a disruption of it can cause oral health issues. One of the main components, in maintaining this ecosystem, is our saliva. But what does it actually do?
Saliva:
Keeps the mouth and throat lubricated and comfortable (no one likes having a dry mouth and throat, that’s the worst when your sick).
Acts as the first step towards digesting food, and makes food easier to swallow.
Helps clean away food and bacteria around your teeth and gums, which assists in keeping cavities at bay, and from having gum issues.
Assists in maintaining the pH balance in your mouth.
Now what does mouth breathing have to do with this? Similar to how a dry winter wind sucks the moisture out of our skin, the intake of air through the mouth causes the oral cavities ecosystem to dry up. Not only does it cause an uncomfortable dry mouth and throat, it leaves the mouth open to attack. As the mouth becomes dry, the salivary warriors die off and cannot fend off against the bacteria in your mouth. Studies show that over time dry mouth may cause a higher susceptibility to cavities and gum issues, such as gum recession, or even periodontal disease.
Breathing through the mouth can also disrupt and drop the pH balance in the mouth, moving towards more acidic levels. This in turn can cause acidosis, which affects the enamel of the teeth, and also may affect the health of your gums.
During the day, pay attention to how you’re breathing, if you’re breathing through your mouth, try to consciously close your mouth and breath through your nose. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, or in the morning with the Sahara in your mouth, this is a sign you may be mouth breathing at night. However, because mouth breathing may have been hardwired into the brain, as the way to breathe, you may have to retrain your brain to breathe through our nose again. Other times, there are actual obstructions which prohibit proper nasal breathing. In our coming posts, we will dive into:
A technique called Mouth Taping which can assist in retraining our brain to unconsciously nasal breath again.
Options that help clean and open the sinuses, assisting with easier nasal breathing
ENTs when it may it be a good idea to see one
Rhinomanometry Tests
Nasal Release
Oral Appliance therapy that can assist in developing the nasal complex and airway
We hope that these posts provide you with information to help you on your way to better breathing,.