Balanced Smile LLC Center for Orofacial Myology

Mouth breathing doesn’t just affect your teeth and airway—it can ripple all the way down to your gut. Here’s how those systems connect:

1. Less nitric oxide and poorer digestion: When you breathe through your nose, your body produces nitric oxide, a molecule that helps improve blood flow and oxygen delivery. With chronic mouth breathing, nitric oxide levels drop, which can reduce circulation to digestive organs and subtly impair digestion and nutrient absorption.

2. Altered oral microbiome and downstream gut impact: Mouth breathing dries out the mouth, reducing saliva. Saliva isn’t just for lubrication—it helps control harmful bacteria. A dry mouth allows more pathogenic bacteria to thrive, which you then swallow. That can disrupt the balance of your gut microbiome, contributing to issues like bloating or inflammation.

3. Increased risk of inflammation: Chronic mouth breathing is associated with airway stress and sometimes poor sleep. This can increase systemic inflammation, which is linked to gut problems like irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive sensitivities.

4. Poor sleep and gut dysfunction: Mouth breathing often goes hand-in-hand with sleep-disordered breathing (like snoring or mild airway restriction). Poor sleep affects hormones that regulate digestion, gut motility, and even hunger signals—disrupting the gut’s normal rhythm.

5. Reduced stomach acid efficiency: Proper breathing supports the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in your body. Chronic mouth breathing can shift this balance, which may interfere with stomach acid production—making it harder to break down food and absorb nutrients.

What if we focused on prevention… not just management? 🤔

When it comes to children, the signs of future airway and sleep issues often show up early—we just have to know what to look for.

🚩 Red flags parents and healthcare providers shouldn’t ignore:
• Mouth breathing
• Noisy breathing (day or night)
• Snoring or disrupted sleep
• Bruxism (dental wear/grinding)
• Narrow palate
• Enlarged tonsils
• Behavioral changes (irritability, focus issues)
• Tongue tie
• Mentalis strain (chin dimpling when closing lips)

These aren’t just “phases”—they can impact growth, development, and sleep quality over time.

Early intervention = better breathing, better sleep, better outcomes.

If something feels off, it’s worth looking into early. Awareness is the first step.

Learn more with The Breathe Institute www.thebreatheinstitute.com

From restriction to restoration — a powerful reminder of what’s possible with a tongue-tie release and guided myofunctional therapy.

Preparation matters. Pre-surgical therapy sets the foundation, and post-surgical therapy helps the body relearn, heal, and maintain healthy function for the long term.

Better breathing. Better function. Better living.

The Myo Munchee is a, soft, medical-grade silicone appliance designed to enhance oral myofunctional health by stimulating, strengthening, and toning the muscles of the face, lips, and jaw. Developed to counteract the effects of modern, soft diets, it encourages nasal breathing, proper tongue posture, and correct swallowing patterns.
The Myomunchee is guided by a Myofunctional Therapist.

Ask your Doctor or Dentist to screen you for sleep apnea. If you need a sleep test they can refer you for one. If you have sleep apnea your blood oxygen level will be low causing a long list of negative effects on your organs and entire well being. If you have sleep apnea find out how a Myofunctional therapist can help.

Choose the right cup for your baby/toddlers to drink out if so that a tongue thrust is not encouraged.

Tongue muscles attach to the hyoid bone which also have neck muscles attached. With a full functional tongue release some patients experience a release of tension.

A straighter palate leaves more room for the airway. If the palate is high (vaulted) it narrows the airway as in mouth breathers during growing years. Proper oral rest posture with the tongue resting on the palate helps shape a nice wide palate with more room for the dentition and a larger airway.

From parents magazine. Benefits include muscles for proper craniofacial growth and nice large healthy airways = better quality of life!😄

There is lots of information for baby led weaning! It helps with face forward craniofacial growth and nice large healthy airways!