Did you know that mouth breathing may cause your child to have buck teeth?

I wonder if parents have ever had this experience: they feel that other people’s children become more and more beautiful as they grow up, but their own children are not as cute as they were when they were young.

The animated picture comes from soogif

In fact, this is most likely related to a small habit, which as parents we must not ignore.

Go check it out right after reading the article!

1. What is mouth breathing? When you sleep, you breathe through your mouth instead of your nose.

The animated picture comes from soogif

2. The harm of mouth breathing: Long-term mouth breathing can affect the development of children's facial bones, causing the child to look very cute when young, but gradually become "not so cute" as he grows up.

For example, the picture below shows the facial changes of the same child after three years of mouth breathing.

The picture comes from the Internet; the left is 6 years old, the right is 9 years old

Long-term mouth breathing will not only cause children's protruding teeth to turn into buck teeth, but also cause the chin to shorten and retract, resulting in the so-called "adenoid facies".

3. Causes of mouth breathing and disease factors

Rhinitis, nasal polyps, enlarged nasal conchae, enlarged adenoids, enlarged tonsils, deviated nasal septum, etc.

Among them, enlarged tonsils and adenoids are the most common.

All of the above reasons will lead to narrowing of the upper respiratory tract, making it difficult for the nose to breathe, so the child will be forced to breathe through the mouth.

If you find that your child has a long-term habit of mouth breathing, you should see a doctor as soon as possible to find out the cause, detect it early, and intervene in treatment early.

The picture comes from Qianku.com

· Have mouth breathing habits

If this situation is discovered in time, intervention and correction can be made as soon as possible. Otherwise, when the child grows up and takes shape, the changes in the facial bones will be irreversible.

You can either accept the fact of becoming ugly or undergo surgical correction.

The animated picture comes from soogif

· Napkin method

I will teach you a simple method to initially determine whether your child is mouth breathing.

Tear a napkin into small strips and place them on your lower lip. If you see the strips being blown up and then inhaled, it means you are breathing through your mouth.

Hospital examination

Of course, if you want to be more at ease, it is best to take your child to the hospital for a check-up.

√ Fiberoptic electronic nasopharyngeal endoscopy can show different degrees of sleep apnea/hypopnea.

√ Lateral nasopharyngeal X-ray can be used to observe the size of adenoids and the width of the nasopharyngeal airway.

5. What should I do if I already have mouth breathing? Normally, if it is caused by enlarged adenoids or tonsils, the adenoids will begin to grow after birth, reach their maximum size at 7-10 years old, and then gradually shrink.

When the adenoids enlarge to a certain extent, the nasopharynx is blocked and the child is forced to breathe through the mouth. This is common in children and adolescents.

Is there any solution?

Children

Surgery to remove the gland. However, since the gland will gradually shrink after the age of 10, the decision on whether to have surgery should be based on the severity and symptoms of the child's mouth breathing, the doctor's professional advice, and the parents' concerns.

· teenager

Due to long-term mouth breathing, changes such as facial bones or uneven teeth have occurred, and orthodontic treatment is needed at this time.

Adults

It has become established and can only be treated through surgery.

The picture comes from Baotu.com

The purpose of writing this article is to draw the attention of parents.

A small habit may affect the appearance of a child for life. Don't wait until the child grows up to regret it. Choose a regular hospital to see a doctor, and correct and treat it as early as possible.

If you know any other small habits that may make you ugly, please leave a message for everyone to avoid them.

References:

[1] Sun Hong, Zhang Luo. Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (9th Edition)[M]. People's Medical Publishing House: Beijing, 2018: 284.

[2] Yan Dong, Che Xiaoxia. Research progress on the effects of mouth breathing on craniofacial growth and development[J]. Beijing Journal of Stomatology, 2016, 24(002):113-115.

[3] Zeng Xianglong, Gao Xuemei. Diagnosis and treatment of mouth breathing in children[J]. Chinese Journal of Stomatology, 2020, 55(1):3-8.