Does sleeping with your mouth open effect your teeth?!
Question: I had braces for about 3 years, and I wore my retainer for two years before stopping. Recently my teeth have started to shift though and a friend told me it's because I sleep with my mouth open. Is this true, and if it is why and what can I do about it?
Answers: I had braces for about 3 years, and I wore my retainer for two years before stopping. Recently my teeth have started to shift though and a friend told me it's because I sleep with my mouth open. Is this true, and if it is why and what can I do about it?
I'm a dentist.
It sure does. It can result in an anterior open-bite, a condition where the upper and lower front teeth do not overlap.
What can you do? I'd start with your primary care physician, who may refer you to an ENT to find out if there's something preventing you from breathing from your nose.
I seriously doubt it. You may just be growing & your mouth is growing also.
You can go to the dentist & ask.
Try sleeping on your side. It may stop you from opening your mouth.
You may have sleep apnea and are trying to take in enough oxygen.
how does your friend know you sleep with your mouth open? come to think of it do you know that you sleep with your mouth open?
if so stick masking tape to your mouth before u goto to sleep. try that for a month and see if it makes any difference. if it doesn't then you know that sleeping with your mouth open really doesn't affect your teeth at all and you've been told a load of cobblers.
that's what a retainer is for, to stop the teeth from shifting. wear your retainer again so your teeth don't shift further. Also your mouth open would not affect it. sometimes people's tongues pushing up against their teeth affect the teeth shift, but your mouth open would have nothing to do with it