Breathing Therapy

Your child sleeps with their mouth open? Snores? Has dry, cracked lips and catches every infection going around? Mouth breathing is not a “habit they’ll grow out of.” It’s a disorder that affects facial development, bite alignment, speech, and sleep. The good news: it can be corrected.

Why is mouth breathing a problem?

The nose filters, humidifies, and warms the air. The mouth doesn’t. When a child breathes through their mouth, several things happen at once:

• The face grows downward — the jaw narrows and the face elongates. In children, facial bones are still developing, and the breathing pattern literally shapes their appearance.
• The bite gets worse — the tongue sits on the floor of the mouth instead of the palate, so it doesn’t widen the jaw. Result: open bite, crossbite, crowded teeth.
• Speech is unclear — because tongue position is off and muscles work differently than they should.
• The child sleeps poorly — snoring, waking up, drooling on the pillow. Pediatric sleep apnea shows up as concentration problems, hyperactivity, and learning difficulties. Sometimes mistaken for ADHD.
• Frequent infections — dry throat, enlarged tonsils, recurring ear infections.

How to recognize mouth breathing

• Your child’s mouth is open during the day (while playing, watching TV, drawing)
• They snore at night
• They drool on the pillow
• They have dry, cracked lips
• They have dark circles under their eyes
• They get sick often (upper respiratory infections)
• They’re restless at night, sleep poorly
• They have enlarged tonsils or adenoids

How I work

Before starting exercises, I identify the cause. Sometimes mouth breathing has an anatomical reason (enlarged tonsils, deviated septum, allergy). In that case, I refer to an ENT or allergist, because without removing the cause, exercises alone won’t be enough.

Once the cause is addressed (or there’s no anatomical obstruction), I work on:

1. Lip seal — learning to keep the lips closed at rest. Sounds simple, but for a child who has mouth-breathed for years, it’s a new skill.
2. Nasal breathing — exercises to restore the nasal airway and breath control.
3. Tongue position — learning the correct resting position (whole tongue on the palate).
4. Habits — eliminating thumb sucking, nail biting, and other habits that maintain mouth breathing.

Who is this for?

Children and adults. In children, therapy gives the best results because the body is still growing. In adults, it helps with snoring, teeth grinding (bruxism), jaw joint pain, and bite issues.

📞 577 600 985
📧 neurologopeda.grzegrzolka@gmail.com