Correcting Mouth Breathing and Incorrect Tongue Posture in Children and Teenagers
Many parents first notice it almost by chance: their child often keeps their mouth open, sleeps restlessly, may snore or wakes up in the morning with dry lips. Sometimes, parents also notice that the tongue lies between the teeth when the child speaks, swallows or is at rest.
Occasional mouth breathing is not unusual, for example during a cold or when the nose is blocked. However, if a child mainly breathes through the mouth over a longer period of time, the cause should be clarified. Nasal breathing, tongue posture, lip closure and jaw growth are closely connected and can influence the development of the teeth and jaws.
In our orthodontic practices in 1060 Vienna and Linz, we examine whether mouth breathing or incorrect tongue posture may be negatively affecting your child’s dental and jaw development and, if necessary, recommend suitable treatment.
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*Please note: Our Vienna practice on Mariahilferstraße is a private practice for dental and orthodontic services. Our Linz practice is a purely orthodontic practice with a health insurance contract for free braces.
Why are correct breathing and tongue posture so important?
The growth of a child’s jaw is influenced by many factors. In addition to genetics, breathing, swallowing, chewing, lip posture and tongue position also play an important role.
Persistent mouth breathing and incorrect tongue posture may be associated with, among other things:
- a narrow upper jaw
- lack of space for the permanent teeth
- crowded teeth
- crossbite
- open bite
- unstable tooth position after previous braces treatment
If the tongue does not rest against the palate, the upper jaw lacks an important natural growth stimulus for width development. This can interfere with the development of the upper jaw and may contribute to a narrow jaw or even a crossbite. In a crossbite, the upper side teeth do not sit outside the lower side teeth as intended, but are positioned too far inward. Such a crossbite should be assessed early in children, as it can influence further jaw growth.
Incorrect tongue posture can also be problematic after orthodontic treatment. If the tongue continues to press against the teeth in the wrong place, both the teeth and the jaws may shift again during growth. Learn more about retainers after braces in this article.
The tongue does not only play an important role in speaking and swallowing. Even at rest, it influences the development of the upper jaw.
In a healthy resting position:
- The tongue rests gently against the palate.
- The lips are closed.
- The teeth are not clenched together.
- Breathing takes place mainly through the nose.
Simple rule of thumb:
Lips closed, tongue on the palate, breathing through the nose.
With incorrect tongue posture, the tongue often lies low on the floor of the mouth, between the teeth or presses against the front teeth. As a result, the upper jaw lacks an important natural stimulus. This can negatively affect jaw development and tooth position.
You can find more information about the treatment of tooth and jaw misalignments on our page about orthodontics in Vienna and Linz.
How can parents recognize possible mouth breathing?
Not every child with an open mouth automatically has an orthodontic problem. However, if several signs occur regularly, an assessment is recommended.
Typical signs include:
- frequently open mouth
- dry or chapped lips
- snoring or restless sleep
- tiredness in the morning
- frequently blocked nose
- visible tongue between the teeth
- tongue thrusting when swallowing
- front teeth do not close properly
- narrow-looking upper jaw
- crowded teeth
- crossbite or open bite
- difficulties with certain sounds
Particularly important: If mouth breathing is associated with snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep, severe daytime tiredness or concentration problems, the airways should also be medically assessed.
Mouth breathing in teenagers
Mouth breathing is also an important topic in adolescents. Many growth processes are already advanced, but not yet fully completed.
Especially before or during orthodontic treatment, for example with invisible braces, it is important not to focus only on tooth position. Function also has to be right. This is the only way to keep the treatment result stable in the long term.
You can find more information on our page about orthodontics for children and adolescents.
How do we examine mouth breathing and tongue posture?
In our practice, we do not only assess whether the teeth are straight. We also pay attention to how your child breathes, swallows and holds the tongue at rest.
The examination includes, among other things:
- assessment of tooth position
- checking the upper and lower jaw
- screening for crossbite, open bite or crowding
- assessment of upper jaw width
- observation of lip posture and lip closure
- assessment of tongue posture at rest
- signs of tongue thrusting or an incorrect swallowing pattern
- discussion of sleep, snoring and nasal breathing
- assessment of tongue mobility and the tongue-tie
If there is a suspected restriction in tongue mobility or a tongue-tie, we recommend further assessment depending on the findings, for example by a speech therapist and, if indicated, surgical correction of the tongue-tie. If medically indicated, this correction can be carried out in our practice by our specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery, Dr. Dr. Felix Wick.
If there are signs of restricted nasal breathing, we recommend an additional assessment by an ENT specialist. Orthodontic treatment can only be successful in the long term if the cause of mouth breathing is also taken into account.
What treatment options are available?
Possible steps include:
- early orthodontic treatment for a narrow upper jaw, crossbite or noticeable tooth position
- myofunctional therapy to strengthen the lips, cheeks and tongue
- speech therapy for speech difficulties, lisping or an incorrect swallowing pattern
- regular exercises at home to support treatment; these exercises are usually individually guided by speech therapy or myofunctional therapy and support the transition to correct tongue posture, lip posture and swallowing patterns
- surgical correction of the tongue-tie if the tongue-tie is too short; whether correction makes sense depends, among other things, on the child’s age and the individual findings
- ENT assessment and, if necessary, treatment of polyps, enlarged adenoids or other factors that impair nasal breathing
In cases of crossbite or open bite, early orthodontic assessment can be particularly important.
Our goal: healthy function instead of only straight teeth
Orthodontics is not only about straightening teeth. A stable tooth position also requires healthy function.
This includes:
- free nasal breathing
- relaxed lip closure
- correct tongue posture at rest
- correct swallowing
- harmonious jaw growth
When these foundations are in place, the jaw can develop more favourably. At the same time, orthodontic results tend to remain more stable in the long term.
The earlier functional disorders such as mouth breathing, incorrect tongue posture or a crossbite are recognized and treated, the better growth can be positively influenced. This is why, in children with a crossbite, we often start treatment during the mixed dentition phase, around the age of 6.
At this age, the growth of the upper jaw can still be used well. The older patients are, the more difficult it becomes to correct a very narrow upper jaw using orthodontics alone.
What does this mean for adults?
More and more adult patients come to the practice with questions about breathing, sleep quality or possible airway problems. It is important to understand that braces alone do not usually improve breathing automatically. If symptoms such as waking up startled at night, pauses in breathing, severe snoring or pronounced daytime tiredness occur, a more comprehensive medical assessment should first be carried out, for example by an ENT specialist, sleep medicine specialist, sleep laboratory or even a pulmonologist.
In adults with a significantly narrow upper jaw, surgically assisted upper jaw expansion or orthognathic jaw surgery may be necessary in individual cases. In such treatment, one jaw or both jaws are surgically moved forward in order to enlarge the airway space. However, this is a complex treatment and is planned only after careful diagnostics and interdisciplinary assessment.
In our practices in Vienna and Linz, we are happy to take the time to explain these connections clearly and find the right path for your child together with you.
Book an appointment online now
Please note: Our Vienna practice on Mariahilferstraße is a private practice for dental and orthodontic services. Our Linz practice is a purely orthodontic practice with a health insurance contract for free braces.