Mouth Breathing in Kids: What Parents Need to Know
- Posted on: Sep 5 2025
Mouth breathing in children is a common complaint for parents. This can be normal occasionally, such as when the child has a cold. However, persistent mouth breathing can have serious effects on your child’s overall health and development.
Causes of mouth breathing
Normal and optimal breathing would ideally be through the nose. However, many factors can cause difficulty breathing with nasal breathing and force a child to breathe from their mouth. The more common causes include:
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allergic rhinitis (inflammation and swelling of the nasal tissues due to allergy)
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acute or chronic sinus infections (infection of the spaces that open into the nose)
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enlarged adenoid tonsils (tonsil tissue at the very rear of the nose as it opens into the throat)
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nasal polyps (abnormal growth of tissues in the nose, usually due to allergies or chronic infection)
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deviated nasal septum (a bend to the wall that separates the right and left sides of the nose)
Effects of chronic mouth breathing
Persistent mouth breathing brings a number of harmful effects to your child’s health. This can cause dry mouth, which can cause bad breath, but also increases the risk of gum disease and cavities. It can also cause problems with sleep, such as snoring and sleep apnea. These can in turn lead to behavioral issues such as irritability and hyperactivity, or even difficulty concentrating. Finally, it can cause changes with your child’s facial development. Chronic mouth breathing causes “mouth breathing face,” which is characterized by a long face, high-arched palate, dental crowding, a receding jaw and cheekbones.
Treatments for mouth breathing
At the simplest, treating the underlying causes of mouth breathing is the optimal approach. Because the causes are varied, treatment approaches can be different.
This can range from diagnosing and managing allergies to treating sinus infections. Other times, it may include procedures to address structural problems for the nose, sinuses and throat, such as balloon sinuplasty, .
Schedule a Consultation
Seeing an ear, nose and throat specialist can help determine how best to address the specific cause or causes for your child. Call or securely text our clinic today at 512-601-0303 to request an appointment.
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Posted in: Mouth Breathing
