Mouth Breathing Solutions & Treating Dry Mouth and Chronic Throat Clearing
Sometimes it feels like all you can do is breathe through your mouth instead of your nose, right? Whether due to allergies, sinus issues, or even anxiety, mouth breathing isn’t just annoying – it can seriously mess with your dental health long-term if left unchecked.
At Discovery Dental & Implants, we see tons of patients dealing with dry mouth and constant throat clearing as a result. But not to worry, with the proper treatment plan, your symptoms can finally be solved for good.
What’s going on when you constantly breathe orally? Well, your mouth acts kind of like a vacuum sucking moisture right out of the air passing through. This dries out your tongue, lips, and whole craniofacial area big time. Saliva production slows to a crawl since your body’s not getting the hydration it needs through nasal breathing. Without spit’s protective buffers, your enamel becomes super vulnerable to cavities and acid erosion over time.
Plus, all that mouth breathing deforms your facial structure by altering your tongue posture. It starts resting down flat against the back of your throat instead of naturally curved up against your palate.
This constant drying habit triggers an annoying urge to clear your throat frequently that never seems to let up. Not to mention post-nasal drip, sinus pressure, and sleep issues are other no-fun possible outcomes if nose breathing is compromised.
The good news is oral appliances like a custom mandibular advancement device can redirect your airway through your nose even while snoozing. Fitted by our specialists at Discovery Dental & Implants, these FDA-cleared oral devices gently adjust your lower jaw forward just enough to open nasal passages and stimulate tongue positioning. This stops mouth breathing subconsciously for the first time and allows your tongue to help humidify incoming air.
If allergies or sinus anatomy are primarily to blame, we can also refer you to an ENT doctor. They may perform CT scans identifying blockages optimally treated with medications like nasal steroids, sinus irrigation, balloon sinuplasty procedures, or even surgery if severely inflamed sinuses just won’t heal otherwise. But chin straps and tongue training exercises on their own can significantly improve matters too.
And dehydration is no joke – it’s so key to constantly sip water throughout the day instead of waiting till you feel parched. Chewing xylitol gum for 15 minutes several times daily also stimulates saliva 7-fold to lubricate your mouth naturally again.
We also offer prescription fluoride trays mitigating tooth decay risks during any transitional phase before habits fully resolve.
At Discovery Dental & Implants, we take a multi-disciplinary approach ensuring all bases are covered. You’ll feel like a new person without that constant urge to clear your throat finally under control.
Give us a call now, to take the first step towards comfort without compromise and remedy underlying triggers driving months or years of dryness once and for all. Your health is our passion – let’s fix those struggling breathing patterns together!
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