08/06/2025
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If your dentist hasnât asked you about your sleep, youâre receiving substandard care.
Iâve seen it again and again. People come in with cavities, grinding, gum disease, kids with narrow palatesâand no oneâs ever connected it to how theyâre sleeping at night.
Mouth breathing dries out saliva. That raises cavity risk and disrupts your oral microbiome. Grinding is often your bodyâs way of gasping for air. Kids who snore or toss and turn might be dealing with airway issues that shape the trajectory of their lives.
When I started asking about sleep in my practice, everything changed. We stopped chasing symptoms and started solving root causes.
Your mouth sets the tone for how you breathe. If youâre breathing through your nose, youâre filtering air, keeping nitric oxide levels up, and staying in a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state. But if youâre breathing through your mouthâespecially at nightâyou dry out saliva, your mouthâs natural defense system.
That leads to more bad bacteria. More cavities. More inflammation. But it goes deeper. Mouth breathing reduces oxygen, which disrupts deep sleep and throws off your nervous system. Quality sleep is the foundation of everything else.
Grinding isnât just a stress habit. Itâs often your brain trying to open a blocked airway. That grinding wears down enamel and inflames the jawâbut itâs also a clue your body isnât getting what it needs while you sleep.
Sometimes what looks like a dental problem is really sleep-disordered breathingâlike UARS or undiagnosed sleep apnea. Thatâs why I refer patients for sleep studies or co-manage care with sleep physicians and myofunctional therapists. It takes a team.
Has a dentist ever talked to you about how you sleep? Letâs compare notes. Drop a comment.
And if youâre looking for a provider who sees the full picture, I built the to help. These are dentists whoâve stopped treating teeth in isolation. Functional dentistry is growingâand itâs long overdue.
