01/31/2025
🦷 Did you know that how you breathe affects how your jaw and teeth develop? Proper nasal breathing during childhood isn’t just about health – it’s also key to creating a beautiful, functional smile.
Here’s why:
✅ Normal Jaw Growth: The natural direction for jaw growth is forward. This is guided by gentle, consistent forces from the lips and tongue, much like the principles used in orthodontics.
✅ Tongue Power: Every time we swallow – about 2,000 times a day – the tongue presses against the roof of the mouth with a force of up to 500g. This upward pressure helps shape the upper jaw, ensuring it grows broad and U-shaped to house all the teeth comfortably.
✅ The Role of Tongue Position: When the tongue rests in the roof of the mouth, it supports the natural growth of the upper jaw. The lower jaw then follows suit, leading to a well-aligned, broad facial structure.
🚨 What Happens with Mouth Breathing?
• Mouth breathing keeps the tongue low in the mouth, preventing it from shaping the jaws properly.
• The result? A narrow, V-shaped upper jaw, crowded teeth, and a longer, less balanced facial structure.
As dentist Raymond Silkman says: "The most important orthodontic appliance that you all have and carry with you 24 hours a day is your tongue."
🌬️ Nasal breathing helps keep the tongue in its ideal position, activating the maxilla and promoting proper cranial and facial development.
💡 Early intervention with techniques like the Buteyko Breathing Method can make all the difference. Breathe better, grow better!
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