If youre a mouth breather, youre not alone.
Studies estimate anywhere from 11% to 56% of childrenare mouth breathers.
But while mouth breathing can affect these health issues, can it also affect theshape of your face?
Getty Images / Bella Geraci
Thats a big, resounding yes.
Meet the experts
Why is mouth breathing bad for you?
He points to rounder cheeks and an elongated face as ways mouth breathing can manifest.
It promotes forward growth of the jawbones.
This can also lead to the appearance of a gummy smile.
Dr. Moradzadeh also notes that mouth breathers are more likely to have poor posture.
Their head kind of sticks more forward over time, and that leads to a more curved back posturing.
Is it enlarged tonsils and adenoids (the tissue behind the nasal cavity)?
A deviated septum?Sleep apnea?
Issues like a deviated septum or enlarged adenoids may require surgery, says Dr. Silvera.
But there aresomebodily changes that can happen if you work to breathe through your nose and not your mouth.
Posturecan be fully corrected, particularly if you work with a physical therapist, says Dr. Moradzadeh.
