Mouthbreathing

[BessH]

Does anyone have experience of mouthbreathing? My 8 year old mouthbreaths and always has done. Since her pcd diagnosis and our awareness of quite how blocked up she can be, we now do once or twice daily nasal and sinus rinses which she is perfectly happy with. So I believe we have uncovered and solved the ongoing cause of the problem but this is an 8 year old habit that she can't seem to break. We became aware of this as an issue on a regular check up at the dentist. He mentioned the staining on her lower teeth and asked me about sugary drinks, etc. She has none of these but then as an aside he said 'she doesn't ever mouth breath does she?' So I explained yes all the time. Apparently this is responsible for the staining and could be causing her crowded lower teeth with her jaw growing more slowly. I have just ordered an air purifier for her room, we do physio and daily nasal rinses and she blows her nose to empty and can breath through it no problem. When she focuses on breathing through her nose she can but she just wants to go back to mouthbreathing asap as she doesn't like breathing through her nose. I am concerned about the effect on her lower jaw development and understand that it can cause a lot of other problems. Has anyone experienced this and has any advice?

[Karlo]

You say she can breathe through her nose but is uncomfortable doing so. If she can indeed breathe through her nose but isn't used to it, it can take some time to adjust. I remember when I was younger, and was starting to learn to breathe through my nose, I had to do it on a conscious level. It took me a month or two to get adjusted.

On the other hand, whenever I would sleep my mom would notice me always breathing through my nose. This is a natural bodily reaction if your nose is unclogged, I was told by my doctor.

Did you ever try spraying her sinuses with a nasal decongestant such as Olynth H before bedtime and observing her while she was asleep? I'm not a fan of decongestants because they tend to clog your sinuses even more after while, but they can prove useful at certain times.

[fcfilice]

Hello

Does you son have nasal polyps

[Mpmc]

Our daughter is nearly 9, and has struggled with nose breathing since she was born. Feeding was incredibly difficult as an infant. Even now, she can’t chew large mouthfuls, as she keeps having to open her mouth to breathe. She also has crowded teeth and problems with staining, which we were told were probably a combination of dry mouth, and antibiotic use etc. The teeth crowding they are just watching at the moment, as it is too early to make any decisions on that.

The other thing to consider, is whether large adenoids could be contributing to the problem. Our daughter had developed severe sleep apnea, and her oxygen sats were dipping so low, that she had them taken out. That certainly helped with the night time breathing, but of course doesn’t change anything with regards to ongoing congestion.

I also agree with the other reply, that even when the nasal passage becomes relatively clear, it is hugely difficult to consciously change the way they naturally breathe. Even when it can be done, it seems to be instinctive to just breathe through their mouth. It will probably take some time.

[GwenVG]

I have always breathed through my mouth when sleeping and pretty much any other time. I have my adenoids removed and nasal polyps removed and even a cyst in my maxillary sinus cavity. And to this day I still continue to breathe out if my mouth. My nose just is not enough oxygen.