Everywhere you turn in the media, the mouth breathing connection to dental deformities is making headlines. Here, Kirk Huntsman explains the recent connections professionals are making between the two.

1. DOES YOUR CHILD
HAVE CROOKED
TEETH? THE CULPRIT
MIGHT BE MOUTH
BREATHING.

2. THE MOUTH-
BREATHING
CONNECTION
A mouth breathing habit could put your child at risk for developing a
“small, set back jaw, a tiny chin and a long face,” according to a recent
article by the Huffington Post.

3. THE MOUTH-
BREATHING
CONNECTION
In a blog post this spring, I wrote that the surprising cause of your child’s
health issues is likely a compromised airway. Over the years, I’ve witnessed
case after case wherein children’s sleeping problems, facial development,
and smile have all been enhanced once doctors’ and parents’ attention
was focused on improving a child’s airway.

4. THE MOUTH-
BREATHING
CONNECTION
In his research, renown dental surgeon John Flutter, BDS, an Australia-based
expert in early intervention methods to avoid the need for braces or
extractions, breaks down how mouth breathing is often the underlying cause
of crooked teeth. Dr. Flutter presented a lecture at the 2014 Breathing
Conference at the Karolinska institute in Stockholm. Dr. Flutter’s research
has shown that most orthodontic problems are best diagnosed and treated
while your child is still growing.

5. So, what are the signs
that your child might
be a mouth breather?

6. Here are five
indicators to look out
for, according to
Huffington Post’s
Martha Cortes, DDS:

7. #1: A small & weak
looking jaw

8. #2: Forward head
posture

9. #3: Lip incompetency
(unable to seal)

10. #4: Small,
dysfunctional nostrils

11. #5: Underdeveloped or
set back jaw

12. THE GOOD NEWS?
You can retrain the muscle patterns that influence the teeth’s position and
improve the way your child breathes. When children wear uniquely
designed oral appliances for just a few hours a day or during the night
while they sleep, the comfortable appliances promote nasal breathing and
discourage mouth breathing as they straighten teeth, widen the dental
arches, and help develop the jaw further—just as nature intended.

13. A PRESENTATION BY
R. KIRK HUNTSMAN