Breathing through the mouth is a dangerous habit and a doctor explains what happens to your face if you do it consistently.
Though mouth-breathing can be a practice developed over time due to various factors, it can have long-term consequences on the structure of your face.
Why you shouldn’t breathe from your mouth
Dr. Karan Rajan, who has also spoken about the TikTok claim that sleeping on one side makes your face asymmetrical, explains what happens when you indulge in mouth-breathing.
With over seven years of experience, Dr. Karan Rajan is best known for his educating videos on TikTok. His expertise combined with entertainment has gained him millions of followers on social media.
He is a certified NHS surgeon from London, currently serving as a lecturer at Sunderland University.
In one of his videos, he revealed that breathing from your mouth constantly can permanently alter the shape of your face, and not in a good way.
He says that breathing through your mouth causes several “butterfly effects.”This is primarily due to excess strain on the cheek muscles when you breathe from your mouth, thus adding more pressure on the upper and lower jaw, resulting in a narrower face.
This also changes the natural resting position of the tongue against the upper jaw and as it ends up dropping to the floor, hindering the mid-face development.
It’s common in adults too
Mouth-breathing in children is caused due to factors such as enlarged adenoids, located above the roof of the mouth and behind the nose or nasal congestion from allergies or cold.
It can also be caused by a deviated septum, a cartilage, and bone that divides the inside of the nose.
Adults can also get habituated to breathing through their mouth, which can negatively impact their face structure in addition to other issues such as dry mouth, bad breath, drooling while asleep, and misalignment of the teeth.
If you find yourself breathing through the mouth, consult your health provider for further action. Remember that breathing from your nose is always safer as it consists of hair-like structures called cilia that filter out the debris, which the mouth lacks.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, breathing through your nose is also vital for your lungs and throat to function better as they thrive on warm air, which is created when you inhale from your nose.
