Open Mouth Posture at Rest (Open Mouth Breathing)

What will Creative Speech Therapy do for my child's open mouth breathing?

According to the research done by Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Ehrlich in their book, JAWS: “How we eat can be just as important as what we eat. How we breathe can be just as important as what’s in the air we breathe. How we sleep can be just as important as how long we sleep. These are all aspects of oral-facial health.”

Open mouth breathing is a hidden pandemic leading to issues such as:

Sleep apnea
Facial abnormalities (long and narrow shape, receding chin, drooping eyes, thin lips, gummy smile)
Asthma
Crooked teeth
Smaller airways
Snoring
Stuffy noses and colds
Poor sleep

Poor oral motor skills are often the underlying reason for speech and feeding difficulties. Our experts are specially trained to assess, diagnose, and treat the oral motor problems caused by open mouth breathing.

After assessing your child, their therapist will write a comprehensive report with a diagnosis and treatment plan, outlining the exercises your child will do to correct their open mouth posture at rest. Orthodontics or orthopedics is not known to produce any jaw changes remotely as impressive as the exercises our therapists are trained to employ. There is no reason your child needs to begin with intense orthodontia or surgery.

When should I seek professional help?

If your child has any, and especially multiple, of the above symptoms/results and you see them resting with their jaw hanging, mouth open, and/or breathing through their mouth, it is wise to seek professional help from us. Another clue to good oral posture can be found in your child’s smile, specifically in what is called a “gummy smile.” When your child smiles, do you see a significant amount of their gums and not just teeth? Our therapists can help.