Mouth Breathing and Snoring in Kids and Adults
Mouth breathing changes how a child's face grows. Snoring is the sound of an airway working too hard. Both are treatable, and the earlier the better.
Mount Royal Dental has treated airway problems since 2020, with Duluth's first myofunctional therapy program and a dentist trained in airway care.
Key highlights
- Mouth breathing means the nose isn't doing the job, and the body is working around it.
- In kids, it's linked to a narrower upper jaw, a longer face, and a smaller lower jaw.
- Snoring in a child is never normal. It's a sign to check the airway.
- Causes include a narrow palate, low tongue posture, a tongue tie, allergies, and enlarged tonsils.
- Treatment matches the cause: therapy, expansion, tie release, or a referral to an ENT.
- Our 12-session kids' camp has been covered by the Duluth News Tribune and Fox21.
What is mouth breathing?
Mouth breathing is breathing through the mouth instead of the nose, during the day, at night, or both.
The nose filters, warms, and slows the air. The mouth does none of that. A child who breathes through the mouth also rests the tongue low, and a low tongue stops supporting the upper jaw from inside.
That's the connection most parents don't hear about. It's a breathing habit and a growth problem at the same time.
Signs your child is a mouth breather
Red flags
- Lips apart at rest, watching TV or reading
- Snoring or noisy breathing at night
- Drooling on the pillow
- Dry, chapped lips
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Restless sleep, kicking, sweating
- Bed-wetting past the usual age
- Crowded teeth or a narrow, high palate
- Trouble focusing, daytime tiredness
Check tonight. If your child's mouth is open while sleeping, that's enough reason to book.
What mouth breathing does to a growing face
A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis in BMC Oral Health pooled seven studies and found that mouth-breathing children had a smaller, more set-back lower jaw and more airway narrowing than nasal breathers.
A 2010 review in General Dentistry described the pattern: long narrow faces, high palates, crowded teeth, and poor sleep, and recommended screening children as young as five.
| Nasal breather | Long-term mouth breather |
|---|---|
| Tongue rests on the palate | Tongue rests low |
| Upper jaw grows wide | Upper jaw stays narrow |
| Room for adult teeth | Crowding |
| Lower jaw grows forward | Lower jaw drops back |
| Lips closed at rest | Lips apart, longer face |
Growth is the reason to act early. A seven-year-old's palate responds to treatment in months. A seventeen-year-old's takes mini-implants.
Why kids snore
Snoring is air squeezing past something in the way. In kids, that's usually one of four things.
The most common cause in young children. This one needs a pediatrician or ENT. We'll tell you when we see it.
The floor of the nose is the roof of the mouth. A narrow palate means a narrow nasal airway.
At night the tongue falls back. A tongue that's trained to rest high stays out of the airway.
A blocked nose forces mouth breathing. Treat the allergy and the habit often stays, which is where therapy comes in.
Causes, and the treatment for each
| Cause | Treatment | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Low tongue posture, weak lip seal | Myofunctional therapy | Our office, in person and online |
| Narrow upper jaw | Palatal expansion | Our office |
| Tongue or lip tie | Laser tie release with therapy | Our office |
| Enlarged tonsils or adenoids | ENT evaluation | Referral |
| Allergies | Pediatrician or allergist, then therapy | Referral, then our office |
| Adult snoring from the soft palate | Solea Sleep or an oral appliance | Our office |
Most kids have two causes. A narrow palate and a low tongue go together. We treat both, in the right order.
Mouth breathing in adults
Adults mouth-breathe for the same reasons, plus years of habit.
The signs look different. Dry mouth on waking. Snoring. Clenching and jaw pain. Waking tired. Cavities and gum problems that keep coming back, because a dry mouth has no saliva protecting the teeth.
Adult treatment leans on therapy to retrain the tongue, MARPE when the palate is narrow, and a sleep study when snoring points to apnea.
When to see us, and when to see a physician
Start with us
- Open-mouth posture, crowding, or a narrow palate
- Mouth breathing with a tongue tie or feeding history
- A child who's finished allergy treatment and still mouth-breathes
Let's talk it through first
- Snoring in a child, where we check and may refer
- Mouth breathing that started with a cold or allergy season
- Teens and adults with jaw pain and clenching
See a physician first
- Gasping, choking, or pauses in breathing during sleep
- Fever, swollen tonsils, or recurrent throat infections
- Severe daytime sleepiness in an adult, which needs a sleep study
What we do, and what we don't
What we do
We screen every child for breathing and tongue posture at regular checkups. We evaluate the airway, palate, tongue, and ties. We treat with myofunctional therapy, palatal expansion, and laser tie release, and we run a kids' therapy camp. We send findings to your pediatrician or ENT.
What we don't
We don't remove tonsils or treat allergies, and we don't diagnose sleep apnea. When the cause sits outside dentistry, we say so and refer, then treat the habit that's left once the blockage is gone. We also don't start expansion on a child who only needs monitoring.
The airway evaluation, step by step
- 01Questionnaire.You fill out a form about sleep, snoring, feeding history, allergies, habits, and behavior. This is the baseline we measure against later.
- 02Watching.We watch your child breathe at rest, swallow, and talk. Lips apart or together. Tongue up or down. This takes a few minutes and tells us a lot.
- 03Looking.We check palate width, tonsil size, tongue range, and whether a tie limits movement. We photograph the palate and the resting posture.
- 04Sorting the cause.Tonsils and allergies go to a physician. Palate, tongue, and ties stay with us. Many kids need both tracks.
- 05The plan.You get the plan, the order, and the cost in writing. If the answer is "recheck in six months," we say that.
What a treatment plan looks like
A common plan for a six-year-old with a narrow palate and open-mouth posture:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Months 1 to 3 | Myofunctional therapy to build tongue posture and lip seal; expansion starts |
| Months 3 to 6 | Expansion holds; therapy continues; tie release if one is limiting progress |
| Months 6 to 12 | Therapy tapers; we re-check breathing, sleep, and the questionnaire |
In 2023 the Duluth News Tribune followed a seven-year-old through our camp. Her nighttime mouth breathing went from five or more nights a week down to one or two by the end, measured on the same questionnaire.
What you can do at home
- Check your child's mouth at night. Open or closed.
- Film ten seconds of sleep if you hear snoring. Bring it to the visit.
- Treat allergies and congestion with your pediatrician.
- Practice "lips together, tongue up" as a game, not a correction.
- Cut screen time close to bedtime. Tired kids breathe worse.
Cost and insurance
The evaluation is priced as a consultation. Treatment cost depends on which pieces your child needs. Therapy, expansion, and a tie release are each priced on their own, and you get them in writing.
Some dental and medical plans cover parts of airway treatment. We file claims on your behalf and offer interest-free CareCredit plans. Financing options
Mouth breathing and snoring FAQ
Is mouth breathing in a child a problem?
Mouth breathing in a child is a problem when it's the usual pattern, because it's linked to narrower jaws, crowded teeth, and poorer sleep. It's also treatable, especially early.
Is it normal for a child to snore?
Snoring in a child isn't normal. It can come from tonsils, a narrow palate, or tongue posture, and each has a treatment.
Can a dentist treat mouth breathing?
A dentist trained in airway care treats the dental causes of mouth breathing: a narrow palate, low tongue posture, and tongue ties. Tonsils and allergies go to a physician.
At what age should a mouth breather be checked?
A child who mouth-breathes can be checked at any age, and research recommends screening by age five. Earlier is easier.
Can mouth breathing change my child's face?
Long-term mouth breathing is linked to a longer face, a narrower upper jaw, and a smaller lower jaw in studies of growing children. Treating it early helps growth stay on track.
Can adults fix mouth breathing?
Adults can retrain breathing and tongue posture with myofunctional therapy, and a narrow palate can be widened with MARPE.
Where can I find a dentist for mouth breathing near me in the Duluth area?
Mount Royal Dental evaluates and treats mouth breathing and snoring at our office on Woodland Avenue in Duluth, MN. Families come from Hermantown, Superior, Two Harbors, and Cloquet. Call (218) 464-5222.
Airway care on Woodland Avenue
Mount Royal Dental sits at 1624 Woodland Avenue, Duluth, MN 55803, at the corner of Woodland and St. Marie, next to the Mount Royal Shopping Center near UMD.
Monday 8 to 3, Tuesday through Thursday 8 to 4:30, Friday closed. Call (218) 464-5222.
