They have (or had) a breathing or airway problem. Just like Megan, many open mouth habits can be traced back to breathing issues such as allergies, chronic colds/stuffy noses, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, asthma, a deviated nasal septum, and much more.
While most people breathe through their nose during sleep, people may sleep with their mouths open for a variety of reasons. Sleeping with the mouth open may be a temporary response to nasal congestion, a learned habit, or a symptom of an underlying health condition.
A facial appearance characterized by a permanently or nearly permanently opened mouth. [ from HPO]
Open mouth breathing can cause significant oral health issues, including: Gum disease. Plaque accumulation. Tooth decay.
Opened-mouth posture has a negative cosmetic effect on the face, but it is also associated with the appearance of a low IQ and poor self-esteem. In adults, it is related to periodontal disease, and some suggest that it may also be linked to sleep apnea.
Lip incompetence is often an indication of nasal obstruction, sleep-disordered breathing, and enlarged tonsils. If the upper dental arch changes (narrow or high), it takes the space of nasal sinuses and inhibits nasal breathing.
Opening your mouth too wide: Opening your mouth too wide when you eat or talk can put strain on your TMJ and cause TMD. Rheumatic diseases: Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases impact and cause pain in various joints, including your TMJ.
A problem with bite alignment can make it difficult to keep the mouth closed. Persistent allergies, overlarge tonsils, or a deviated septum could make nose-breathing difficult or impossible most of the time. Fortunately, these problems can often be solved by orthodontic treatment.
Mouth breathing has been shown to reduce the oxygen available to your brain and nervous system and make you more prone to sickness. If you look at the design of the human body you can tell that we are designed to breathe through our nose.
When people close their mouths, people automatically close their jaws completely, but that's not a good oral habit – you are actually supposed to have your jaw relaxed and have space between your teeth, called a freeway space. Your jaw does a lot of work over the day and night.
Autism and oral fixation are linked through sensory processing disorders. It involves chewing on things to alleviate anxiety and stress. Oral fixation is when you feel the need to chew, suck, or hold an object in your mouth. This behavior is common for babies, but generally alleviates as the child ages.
Less oxygen, along with poor sleep from other sleep-related breathing disorders (such as sleep apnea), is a problem. One study proved that mouth breathing brings less oxygen to the brain compared to nasal breathing, which adversely affects brain function and gives rise to ADHD symptoms.
Patients with Down syndrome present mouth breathing, which is a consequence of the small size of the nasal cavity, but it is probably also due to continuous infection of the upper airways that force the patient to breathe through the mouth.
Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.
The normal range of mouth opening differs from person to person, varying between 40 – 60 mm and averaging between 35 – 55 mm which is equal to the width of three fingers.
Sucked-in lips
Disappearing lips isn't a good sign—it indicates high stress and anxiety. Most people can make their lips disappear, in fact, but only in a straight line. You may even notice the corners of the mouth turned into an upside-down U (which is extremely difficult for many people to do).
It is defined as a drooping or sagging of the lower lip that can be aesthetic, functional, or both. Ptosis can affect multiple parts of the body, including the upper eyelid ptosis, breast ptosis, and ptosis of the chin.
People with thin lips are cautious, independent and reserved. For this, they are often mislabelled as a loner, but they very much feel comfortable in solitude. This does not imply that they cannot fit in a group. In a social setting, they can quickly find a common topic of discussion and become a part of the group.
Behavioral issues can include attention problems, obsessive/compulsive behavior, and stubbornness or tantrums. A small percentage of people with Down syndrome are also diagnosed with developmental conditions called autism spectrum disorders, which affect communication and social interaction.
Down syndrome is often easily recognized by features including a round face and upturned eyes, and a short, stocky build. People with Down syndrome sometimes move awkwardly, usually due to low muscle tone (hypotonia) at birth that can interfere with physical development.
People with Down syndrome may have large tongues or they may have an average size tongue and a small upper jaw that makes their tongue too large for their mouth. It is also common for people with Down syndrome to have grooves and fissures on their tongues.
37 In this study we found that mouth breathing in the first 3 years of life was associated with autism, but not symptoms of sleep apnoea, or early snoring except at 42 months.
If you breathe through your mouth and breathe hard, there's less oxygen delivery to the cells.” This makes us more prone to high blood pressure, anxiety, stress, depression, sleep-disordered breathing, asthma and fatigue.