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BackTable / ENT / Podcast / Episode #71

Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Does it Matter?

with Dr. Colleen Plein

In this episode of BackTable ENT, Dr. Shah and Dr. Agan speak with Dr. Colleen Plein about functional nasal breathing in the treatment of facial pain, sleep apnea, postural defects, and improving general quality of life.

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Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Does it Matter? with Dr. Colleen Plein on the BackTable ENT Podcast)
Ep 71 Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Does it Matter? with Dr. Colleen Plein
00:00 / 01:04

BackTable, LLC (Producer). (2022, September 27). Ep. 71 – Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Does it Matter? [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.backtable.com

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Podcast Contributors

Dr. Colleen Plein discusses Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Does it Matter? on the BackTable 71 Podcast

Dr. Colleen Plein

Dr. Colleen Plein is a practicing otolaryngologist in Milwaukee and Chicago.

Dr. Ashley Agan discusses Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Does it Matter? on the BackTable 71 Podcast

Dr. Ashley Agan

Dr. Ashley Agan is an otolaryngologist in Dallas, TX.

Dr. Gopi Shah discusses Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing: Does it Matter? on the BackTable 71 Podcast

Dr. Gopi Shah

Dr. Gopi Shah is a pediatric otolaryngologist and the co-host of BackTable ENT.

Synopsis

First, Dr. Plein defines functional nasal breathing, which is unobstructed nasal breathing with a closed mouth. Nasal breathing is the best way to optimize airflow through the nose because the nose humidifies and filters air, the sinuses produce nitric oxide to increase oxygen delivery to tissue, and a slower breathing rate can be established, which stabilizes blood pH. Dr. Plein then explains the evolutionary transition from nasal to mouth breathing in humans. The “Great Leap Forward” involved the descension of the larynx and posterior displacement of the tongue so humans could develop speech. Unfortunately, these anatomical changes allowed airways to be more easily obstructed. Additionally, narrowing of the human skull occurred because humans now chew less due to our processed diets. The lack of mastication caused hypoplasia of the maxilla and mandible, which led to narrowing of nasal aperture.

In a child with mouth breathing, Dr. Plein emphasizes the importance of early orthodontic intervention; early maxillary expansion is more likely to occur because the sutures have not fused yet. Besides turbinate reduction therapy, she encourages non-invasive therapies for children such as myofunctional therapy and eating less processed foods. The doctors also discuss different pathologies linked to mouth breathing besides obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Plein explains how mouth breathing can lead to TMJ pain, poor posture, facial pain, and migraines.

Next, Dr. Plein gives her tips for examining a mouth breathing patient. She believes that taking a thorough clinical history is important and always asks about snoring, posture, headaches, shoulder/neck pain, as some patients don’t realize they have problems with nasal breathing. She also mentions that some patients who grind their teeth may be using a mouth guard that pushes the tongue further back, which can worsen sleep apnea. She notes that tongue scalloping and outwardly oriented teeth are indicative of tongue thrust, which is diagnostic of sleep apnea. She has a low threshold for recommending home sleep tests and always examines the nose with nasal endoscopy. During endoscopy, she does Cottle’s maneuvers to look for static and dynamic nasal valve collapse. In addition to a scope exam, she gets CT imaging of the sinuses.

Next, Dr. Plein emphasizes the importance of collaborating with myofunctional therapists, dentists, orthodontists, and TMJ physical therapists to care for her nasal obstruction / mouth breathing patients. Finally, she summarizes some non-invasive technology and medications that can help optimize nasal breathing, such as intranasal steroids, antihistamines, nasal irrigation, Breathe Right strips, and a gluten-free diet.

Transcript Preview

[Dr. Colleen Plein]
That's what we're taught. Oxygen is oxygen. That may be true in terms of sustaining life, but it's not necessarily true in terms of optimal function. The nose does a bunch of different things. We know that it warms and humidifies air. We know when someone has a tracheostomy, if someone has a laryngectomy, what's their biggest problem? Humidification. They don't have humidification. It filters the air that we breathe. That's very important for our immune system. The turbinates grab particulate matter. Nasal breathing is important for ciliary function inside the nose.

Part of the reason, one of the theories goes that, why do we see enlarged tonsils in kids? If they're breathing through their mouth, the tonsils, which are lymphoid organs, are getting exposed to all this air and all these particles that they shouldn't be. Now you have tonsillar hypertrophy as a secondary problem. It's not the primary problem causing the sleep apnea or those issues. It's secondary from not breathing through their nose. Our sinuses also make nitric oxide, which is produced in the mucosal lining of our sinuses. It's then put out into the nasal airway.

Nitric oxide is a vasodilator. It helps with our blood pressure. It decreases stress. It also increases the efficiency of oxygen transfer to the tissues. There's actually been studies done on elite athletes that when you change them from being nasal breathers to mouth breathers in an exercise test, their exercise capacity reduces significantly. We also know that people who breathe through their mouth actually breathe at a faster rate than people who breathe through their nose.

That actually ends up in, instead of actually having our carbon dioxide levels in our blood be slightly too low, and very subtle shifts in pH in our blood have effects on our body. There's more. I could go on, but those are, I'd say, some of the major things. The thing about it is if you look in the population, about 75% of people have some sort of issue like this. It's a problem of humanity.

Disclaimer: The Materials available on BackTable.com are for informational and educational purposes only and are not a substitute for the professional judgment of a healthcare professional in diagnosing and treating patients. The opinions expressed by participants of the BackTable Podcast belong solely to the participants, and do not necessarily reflect the views of BackTable.

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