Tongue Space, Airway and How It Affects Your Breathing:

Dr. Krushen Viranna

10 Feb 2016

We all know the importance of breathing. While we are awake we are conscious of how we breathe and whether we breathe through our mouths or noses. Many parents hear their kids snoring at night and think that it is a habit that they will grow out of. They generally do, but for a period of time. By then the development of the face and jaws have changed. The tongue posture changes due to insufficient tongue space or a blocked airway. The airway can be blocked from enlarged tonsils/adenoids or a crowded tongue space(teeth crowding / extractions). The decreased airway then affects the way the face develops which is generally longer and appears to have a smaller jaw. This then affects the amount of oxygen you get while your body regenerates.

If the fuel you receive is not of optimum quality you start to overload other systems in the body. To add to the impact of these facial changes it can contribute to high blood pressure, gastric reflux and later on sleep apnea.

As these patients do not breathe through their noses, the air they breathe then has insufficient nitric oxide which is essential for many body functions. This nitric oxide is only produced when breathing through the nose.

Early intervention with simple exercises and simple treatment can intercept incorrect development and prevent/ reduce further treatment. Alternatively functional orthodontics can help to develop the arch. The advantage of modern orthodontics is that it can be done at any age.