The question of why the child's mouth is constantly open worries many mothers and fathers. After all, caring parents carefully monitor the development of their child, not at all allowing for something to happen to their baby. Therefore, with any change in the behavior or development of the baby, they sound the alarm. And it is right.
A frivolous attitude towards your child can lead to serious consequences. For example, a frequent occurrence among young children - a constantly open mouth during wakefulness, can be not a harmless prank, but a serious illness. Let's try to understand the reasons that contribute to this phenomenon.
In some cases, nothing bad happens if the child forgets to close his mouth. This can be a common habit when a baby has been walking with a dummy in his mouth for a long time, and recently he was deprived of this pleasure. If parents observe that after a long period their child still does not shut their mouths, then this is not a habit - here the reason lies completely different.
ENT diseases
ENT diseases are a common reason why a child’s mouth is constantly open.
Difficulty breathing through the nose can be triggered by diseases such as sinusitis, otitis media, sinusitis, polyps in the nose or adenoids. Parents are especially worth considering about adenoids, since almost every third child is faced with this problem. When they occur, swelling of the nasal mucosa occurs, or they partially block the nasal passages, which makes it difficult for the child to breathe and even speak clearly. In a dream, such children also do not close their lips, their breathing is heavy, their sleep is intermittent. They often wake up at night, as the body does not have enough air.
Normal breathing, in addition, is also difficult with sinusitis, when the paranasal sinuses are inflamed due to prolonged runny nose or other infectious diseases. The human organs are arranged so that the incoming cold air passes through the nasal passage, warming, moisturizing and cleansing. Heading through the mouth, air does not pass through all these mandatory steps. As a result, the baby, constantly breathing with his mouth, often catches a cold and seriously falls ill. Over time, he may develop incorrect posture or bite due to improper closure of the dentition. Behavioral changes are also observed. Such children feel more uncomfortable with other children, their mood often deteriorates, and sleep disturbance is observed.
Allergic reaction of the body
Sometimes an allergy can manifest itself in the most unexpected way. Habitual red skin rashes or coughing are the most well-known clear manifestations of an allergy to food or drugs.
Swelling of the nasopharynx can also occur due to the effects of allergens on the baby's body. Hence the difficulty in breathing through the nose, which causes the child to breathe through the mouth. In this case, the otolaryngologist prescribes drops that relieve allergic inflammation of the nasal passage.
Dental problems
When asked why a child constantly opens his mouth, a dental problem should also not be ruled out. Difficulty in closing the lips may lie in the wrong bite. While the child is small and all his teeth have not erupted, it is difficult to notice this problem. Only with the occurrence of permanent teeth can parents notice that something is amiss with the baby’s bite and go to the orthodontist. It is advisable to go to a specialist before the child is 12 years old, in this case, the doctor will be able to adjust the correct growth of the jaws.
Also, an ajar mouth can be the result of diseased teeth. It is more convenient for a baby to keep it open than to feel pain when it is closed. Parents should pay attention to the health of their child’s teeth - perhaps the problem lies precisely here. In this case, you should go to the pediatric dentist. If, after the oral cavity has been sanitized, the child still does not part with his habit, other reasons need not be ruled out.
Peritoneal muscle tone disorder
Violation of the tone of the perigastric muscles is one of the reasons why the baby's mouth is constantly open. And this is a fairly common phenomenon among infants. According to experts, if a baby has an open mouth for up to a year, then there is no reason for concern. Such a habit can pass in a child by itself, without the intervention of doctors. Although it’s not worth it to relax very much, the manner of keeping your mouth open can provoke the diseases mentioned above: the occurrence of adenoids, the formation of a malocclusion. And if after a year the child’s mouth is also constantly open, what to do in such a situation, the specialist will tell.
As for the circular muscles of the mouth, they can be strengthened with the help of special gymnastics, which is prescribed by orthodontists. This is a very effective method for correcting dentoalveolar pathology. Orthodontic mouthpiece (dental trainer) will also help to put the jaw in the correct position. The tongue of the child takes the correct position in the oral cavity, due to which breathing through the nose is restored. It is very convenient to use, since it is not necessary to wear it around the clock, which is important for small children. This special construction is like an assistant for parents - it helps to quickly wean a baby from sucking a finger.
Problems with the central nervous system
A similar pathology can be determined if, in addition to the open mouth, the child also has excessive salivation or the tip of the tongue is constantly looking out. In this case, parents need not to delay the time and show the baby to the doctor, as these symptoms can mean a serious pathology of the central nervous system.
In the best case, if the child constantly opens his mouth, this behavior occurs due to normal hypertonicity. Hypertonicity is accompanied by sleep disturbance, the baby is often irritable, naughty, crying.
Acquired habit
Children constantly copy those with whom they communicate. This is normal. If the parents had not noticed before the child that he kept his mouth constantly open, and suddenly by the age of six such a phenomenon began to be observed, then this is most likely just a copy of the behavior of one of the acquaintances. A child can take a bad habit not only from his peers, but also from adults with whom he often contacts.
Younger preschool age is the very period when such behavior is characteristic of children. Over time, a bad habit can pass by itself. But it’s better to talk quietly with the child and teach him to control his facial expressions.
be careful
Parents should in no case ignore the behavior of the child if they watch his mouth constantly shut. Maybe your favorite child with such facial expressions looks cute and funny. But in any case, if the child’s mouth is constantly open, this is an alarming bell for mothers and fathers. Wanting to see your child healthy, you should immediately take action and trust the specialists.