Teeth Alignment and Breathing Issues

Why Does Teeth Alignment Matter for Breathing?
Common Breathing Problems Linked to Poor Teeth Alignment
Mouth Breathing
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Nasal Congestion and Difficulty Breathing
Jaw Pain and Tension
Impact on Facial Development in Children
How Can Aligning Teeth Improve Breathing?
Expanding the Jaw to Create Space
Realigning the Bite for Better Airflow
Supporting Tongue Position
Treatment Options for Teeth Alignment and Breathing
Orthodontics (Braces and Clear Aligners)
Jaw Expansion Appliances
Myofunctional Therapy
Final Thoughts
FAQs

Did you know that the position of the teeth in your mouth may influence the way you breathe? You would never think that there was a link between teeth alignment and breathing and yet there is – it is quite amazing. Most people don’t know this but, dental alignment is not just for looks but for your oral health as well. Here in this blog, you will learn how these two aspects are related and what this connection means about your health.

Why Does Teeth Alignment Matter for Breathing?

Your teeth are not just for eating and appearances, your teeth and jaws greatly contribute to your mouth and airway framework. Crowded or misaligned teeth may cause the position of your jaw to shift and in doing so; it may become difficult for you to breathe properly. Here’s why this happens:

Jaw Positioning: If teeth are misaligned, their base might not be in the right position in the jaw. This can lead to reduced airflow in the airway – which takes care of your breathing.
Crowding and Narrow Arch: If your teeth are crowded, then it could be that you have a small dental arch (roof of your mouth). This makes the airway narrow, which results in breathing complications.
Tongue Position: If you have crowded, overlapping, or protruding teeth, it can lead to your tongue not resting properly in your mouth. When there is little space for your tongue, it may roll back to the throat partially blocking your airway.

All these factors prove that the alignment of one’s teeth is not a matter of aesthetics but a concern for as basic of a function as breathing. Now, let’s discuss more on how this is done.

Common Breathing Problems Linked to Poor Teeth Alignment

When teeth alignment isn’t right, there will be several breathing issues that can arise. Here are some of the common problems people might face:

Mouth Breathing

Individuals with orthodontic problems or narrow arches are more likely to breathe through the mouth than the nose. Although respiration occurring through the mouth may appear normal, it actually leads to many problems such as dryness in the mouth with subsequent effects including bacteria build-up leading to bad breath, etc, and more complex effects.

Why It Happens: If you have a narrow air passage, you may begin to breathe through your mouth when you are unaware of it. This usually happens when you are asleep at night.
Why It’s a Problem: When you breathe through the mouth, you cannot warm or filter the air that you are breathing like the nose. It could cause dryness of the mouth, as well as leave one vulnerable to infections and tooth cavities.

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Snoring is usually considered as a symptom that something is wrong with the way you breathe when you are asleep. Misaligned teeth put one at an increased risk of snoring and possibly sleep apnea, which is a phase in which you stop breathing when sleeping.

Why It Happens: Crooked teeth may cause your jaw and tongue to be pushed backward, thereby, making it difficult to breathe. This can result in vibrations or snoring, or indeed cause the passage to be blocked completely such as in sleep apnea.
Why It’s a Problem: Sleep apnea is something that is no joke and makes you feel like you are always tired, and your heart is not healthy, not to mention other problems that are likely to occur if the condition is not treated.

Nasal Congestion and Difficulty Breathing

It can even start affecting the layout of your face and block your nose. In fact, a lot of people with crooked teeth cannot breathe through their nose, the result is that they are either always congested or they don’t get enough oxygen.

Why It Happens: When the jaws are aligned unevenly, the shape of one's nasal passage will alter as well. This might reduce the flow of air through your nose and this will not be good for people with asthma.
Why It’s a Problem: If you are unable to breathe through your nose then you are most likely to breathe through your mouth, and this comes with its own problems such as dry mouth and an increased tendency to develop throat infections.

Jaw Pain and Tension

Misaligned teeth can create pressure on the jaw making the person feel pain in the jaw and neck. If your jaw isn’t properly aligned, it means the muscles in the jaw region become tight, leading to pain and stiffness in the face and/or neck. Sometimes this tension can alter breathing as we do if it causes one to clench their jaw in a way that the airway passage to the nose.

Why It Happens: Misaligned teeth also lead to the jaw not being placed or rested or in a comfortable position relative to the skull, since the teeth have to fit in the opposed jaw first. Long-time use might cause tension within the jaw muscles which may result in tension that may affect breathing patterns.
Why It’s a Problem: Frequent jaw pain is associated with facial pain that is not just limited to pain but poses severe threats such as breathing problems to an individual due to improper positioning of mouth and jaw. This can lead to shallow breathing which means that the body may receive less oxygen than it needs to function properly.

Impact on Facial Development in Children

In the case of children’s teeth, when they are not aligned properly you will learn that the face soon begins to grow in a certain way that it isn’t supposed to. When the teeth are crowded or there are problems with the bite, this will affect how the bone of the jaw and face will develop resulting in a narrowed airway. The inability to properly form the airway makes it very easy for them to have breathing complications as they continue growing, which can be very unfortunate.

Why It Happens: As discussed earlier, when teeth are misaligned, it can lead to changes in how the bones around the mouth and nose grow. This can result in a narrower upper jaw and a smaller airway, especially in children who are still growing.
Why It’s a Problem: Poor facial development can increase the chances of breathing problems like mouth breathing and sleep apnea later in life. Addressing teeth alignment early on can help support proper facial growth and reduce the risk of breathing issues as children get older.

How Can Aligning Teeth Improve Breathing?

Having understood the correlation between the position of teeth and the quality of breathing, you might wonder whether this type of misalignment can be corrected to alleviate breathing issues. The answer is yes! Properly aligned teeth not only result in increased width in the dental arch, but also help to reposition the lower jaw, and especially assist in the opening of an air passage. Here are a few ways that aligning teeth might help:

a) Expanding the Jaw to Create Space

For those with tightly packed or crowded teeth, the orthodontist may suggest making the jaw bigger to accommodate the teeth. This is not only useful for fitting the teeth into the ideal positions but also for breathing obviously. Expansion of jaws will add more space in the mouth, which could increase the airway passage for nasal breathing.

When the tongue and jaws are lowered, you may discover that you can breathe easier than ever before during the day or even while you sleep.

b) Realigning the Bite for Better Airflow

When the bite is correctly positioned, one is capable of having their jaw relaxed while the passage to the lungs and throat is wide open. This is particularly significant during sleep because it causes a lower probability of snoring and sleep apnea.

Braces and clear aligners are kinds of orthodontic treatment applied to align the teeth progressively. This assists the jaw to easily position in a manner that allows easy breathing. The bite improves and that means your jaw will not be strained and ensure that breathing returns to normal instead of the shallow breathing often associated with sleep for instance.

c) Supporting Tongue Position

A lesser-known advantage of teeth and bite correction is the improvement of the place where the tongue rests. When aligned, the tongue has more space to occupy so it does not close off the airway as it would if the teeth were misaligned. When the teeth have been aligned, the tongue can rest naturally behind the topmost surface of the oral cavity without pressing backward, thereby causing blockage of the throat.

When tongue posture is resting in a higher position you will not result in snoring or breathing disruptions during sleep so it is easier to breathe.

Treatment Options for Teeth Alignment and Breathing

In case you are experiencing breathing problems due to teeth alignment, then there are orthodontic procedures that take care of both teeth alignment and airway. Some of these options are orthodontic, and other additional therapies and lifestyle modifications can lead to better results.

a) Orthodontics (Braces and Clear Aligners)

Orthodontic treatments, such as braces and clear aligners, can gradually shift teeth into better positions, aligning the bite and opening up the airway.

How It Works: By moving teeth to where they should be, orthodontic devices like braces or clear aligners help realign the jaw. This creates more space in the mouth and improves airflow.
The Benefit: Besides creating a straighter smile, these treatments make it easier to breathe by improving jaw posture and allowing for more natural airflow, especially while sleeping.

b) Jaw Expansion Appliances

Jaw expansion appliances are used to widen the upper jaw, which can improve space for the teeth and increase the airway size.

How It Works: These devices, often used for children but sometimes for adults, gradually expand the upper jaw to create more space for teeth and improve nasal airflow.
The Benefit: Expanding the jaw can make breathing through the nose easier, reducing mouth breathing and potentially preventing sleep apnea in the future.

c) Myofunctional Therapy

Myofunctional therapy is a set of exercises that focus on strengthening the muscles of the mouth and tongue to support better breathing and oral posture.

How It Works: This therapy teaches you how to use the mouth muscles correctly and can guide the tongue to rest against the roof of the mouth, supporting airway function.
The Benefit: By improving muscle tone and tongue posture, myofunctional therapy can help prevent the tongue from falling back into the airway, reducing the risk of sleep apnea and snoring.

Final Thoughts

Orthodontic treatment does not only concern appearance but can also influence the way you breathe and consequently, the quality of your health. Misaligned teeth are also capable of causing issues with the jaw, the position of the tongue, and access to the airway, meaning mouth breathing, snoring, and even sleep apnoea. The good news is that there are various ways of correcting such a condition, and both teeth misalignments and breathing problems can be treated. If you are sure your teeth alignment may be an influence on the kind of breathing you do, you may consult a dentist or an orthodontist. They can consider whether you’re aligned properly and talk to you about changes that would make a huge difference in how much you breathe and how good you feel.