Adults and children often tend to sleep with their mouth opened. This is a bad habit. When people wake up in the morning, it’s quite common that they experience an uncomfortable feeling in their mouth. This is most likely due to sleeping with your mouth open. While this doesn’t seem important, it can actually cause some serious dental problems in the future. Below, your Sydney dentist discusses why people who sleep with their mouth are at risk for tooth decay. If you need some help, you can contact Sleep Clinic Melbourne today.
Some prime reasons behind sleeping with mouth open are discussed below.
- Fatigue
When our body gets tired, it needs more oxygen. To supply this demand of oxygen, our body uses the mouth section. Through the mouth, more oxygen can be provided to our lungs. This restores our energy.
- Nasal Deformity
Because of nasal deformity, air passing through the nostrils becomes difficult. When we remain awake, we force the muscles to breathe. But when we sleep the natural process gets obstructed. Then our body finds an alternative route to breathe.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea or O.S.A.
Sleep Apnea is a condition when a person breathes through his/her mouth during his/her sleep. The upper portion of the air passing gets blocked. So, the person breaths through his/her mouth.
- Lung’s problem
If you have any problem in your lungs, then your breathing gets abnormal.
For example – if you have a cough and cold problem, the mucus blocks the breathing. When you sleep your body invariably requires oxygen. So your mouth serves the necessary amount of oxygen. Even allergies and Asthma-like problems can cause this open mouth sleep.
Consequences
Sleeping with mouth open has some adverse effects. It’s never good to sleep like that.
- Tooth problems
According to recent research, breathing through the mouth can damage your tooth. The saliva in your mouth gets dried when you breathe through your mouth. This gives space to form many bacterias. These bacterias damage your tooth in many ways.
- Bad breath
Halitosis or bad breath can happen if you breathe through your mouth. Your mouth can’t self-clean itself, and this Halitosis occurs.
- Lips get Dried and cracked
Because of continuous breathing through your mouth, your mouth gets dehydrated. This affects your lips, voice, and lungs. Your lips get dried, and your voice becomes thicker. Even your lungs may develop Asthma problems.
If you breathe during your sleep, you should immediately consult a doctor or the problems may get worsened.