The child has a big mouth. Why does a child's mouth always open? Problems with the central nervous system

Many parents are constantly worried about the health of their long-awaited baby, especially if the child is the first-born in the family. They are often tormented by questions: does the baby cry too much, does he spit up often, is he gaining weight well, is he growing quickly, is he sleeping enough.

Healthy sleep, along with good nutrition, is vital for a person. This statement is doubly true when it comes to a little man. To provide harmonious development baby, you need to establish a sleep schedule. A caring mother rocks her newborn for hours, listens to the breathing of the sleeping baby, and approaches the crib many times. It happens that a mother suddenly notices that the child is sleeping with open mouth. The question inevitably arises in her mind: is this normal?

Sometimes newborns sleep with their head open, which greatly frightens young parents.

Some parents may immediately consult a doctor, while others will try to figure out why this is happening on their own. Advice from relatives and friends, online forums, and articles by the famous pediatrician Komarovsky come to the rescue. Often, loved ones try to allay the fears of new parents. Having heard that a friend’s child is also snoring funny with his mouth slightly open, the mother may lose her vigilance.

How should a healthy baby sleep?

Compared to adults and older children, a baby's muscles are in increased tone. During sleep, the newborn assumes the position it occupied before birth. Up to three months healthy baby sleeps lying on his back, with his limbs half-bent and he breathes through his nose.

If a baby's mouth is slightly open in a dream, this does not always mean that its nose is not breathing. Perhaps the baby simply tilted his head back very strongly and the orbicularis oris muscles relaxed. To understand whether this is so, just listen. If we don’t hear sniffling, the baby’s nose really isn’t breathing.

How can improper breathing be dangerous?

In infants, the capillary network is located on the surface of the oral mucosa and can easily be damaged small particles dust. The immune system the baby is still immature, because bacterial infection can easily penetrate a tiny organism.

Dust, which inevitably accumulates in any apartment, can cause infection by entering the baby’s lungs through the mouth.

Thanks to the structure of the nasal passages, cold air is warmed before entering the bronchi. In addition, the ciliated epithelium of the nasal mucosa retains dust and pollen, protecting the baby from developing asthma. The mucus produced in the nasal passages traps and partially destroys bacteria.

When a person breathes through the mouth, cold, polluted air enters the bronchi. To prevent the development respiratory diseases, parents should make sure that the baby is breathing properly.

If a child breathes only through his mouth all the time, he experiences oxygen starvation, which leads to suppression of brain activity and the development of anemia. The baby becomes weak, lethargic and apathetic, and may subsequently lag behind in intellectual and physical development. Such children get sick much more often than their peers due to weakened immunity. If a newborn breathes through his mouth, his voice becomes nasal and monotonous (we recommend reading:). The child loses the ability to perceive smells and suffers from lack of appetite.

Why does the baby breathe through his mouth?

The reasons need to be identified as quickly as possible. They can be harmless and easily eliminated, or serious. The most common:

Physiological rhinitis in a newborn. After birth, a person moves from an aquatic habitat to an air one. For some time, the mucous membrane adapts to new conditions and secretes more mucus than necessary. In addition, the nasal passages of infants are much narrower than those of adults. As a result, the baby does not breathe through his nose for some time - he has to breathe with his mouth open.

One of the reasons for nasal congestion may be physiological rhinitis, which is associated with the structural features of the nasal passages of newborns.

Unfavorable climatic conditions in the nursery. Low or high air humidity, gas pollution, dust in the room, and infrequent ventilation can lead to swelling of the baby’s delicate mucous membrane and the formation of crusts, which interfere with breathing through the nose.
Infections respiratory tract And allergic runny nose . Infectious diseases increase the viscosity of mucus. Infant does not know how to blow his nose and therefore does not breathe well through his nose, not only during sleep, but also during wakefulness.
Adenoiditis. Excessive enlargement of the nasopharyngeal tonsil occurs even in infants. This is usually preceded by infectious diseases– diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever. Impaired nasal breathing and persistent runny nose are one of the main symptoms of enlarged adenoids. If the baby constantly breathes incorrectly, his appearance changes: the bite is disturbed, upper jaw steps forward. The facial expression becomes meaningless - lower jaw sags, nasolabial folds are smoothed. With time rib cage deformed, becoming keeled or “chicken-shaped”. Due to the enlargement of the tonsil, blood circulation in the nasal mucosa is disrupted, which contributes to the development of chronic rhinitis and sinusitis. Complex respiratory diseases may develop - sore throat, tracheitis, laryngitis. Often the child develops anemia. The sleep of such children is restless, the child snores, and headaches often occur. Parents notice that the child’s memory has deteriorated and the baby has become absent-minded.
Dental problems.

What to do?

If you notice that your newborn often or always sleeps with his mouth open, consult your pediatrician as soon as possible. Reading Komarovsky's articles and advice from experienced mothers does not replace the need to visit specialists.

It may be quite enough to change the baby’s sleeping position by placing a diaper folded several times under the head.
Physiological rhinitis can be treated by rinsing the nose with saline and removing excess mucus using an aspirator.
To eliminate the problem, you may need to adjust the microclimate in the nursery: ventilate more often, carry out wet cleaning, clear the room of soft toys(they accumulate dust), create optimal temperature– about 20 degrees.
If the reason improper breathing caused by a disease, in addition to washing the nose with saline, the doctor may prescribe vasoconstrictors.
For bacterial or viral infection the specialist will prescribe appropriate therapy.
If nasal swelling is caused by allergies, medications will be used to eliminate the symptoms of this disease, and a diet may be prescribed. Often allergies are caused by pets, in which case you may need to get rid of them.

Under no circumstances should you listen to advice that there is no need to treat adenoids, as if the child will “outgrow it.” The decision on treatment methods for adenoiditis is made solely by the otolaryngologist. The doctor will prescribe surgery or conservative treatment depending on the size of the adenoids and the degree of respiratory impairment of the child.

For a speedy recovery it is necessary Fresh air. In the absence of temperature and good weather (warm, no precipitation, no strong wind) you can and even need to go for a walk with your child. Walking helps your baby get rid of swelling and recover faster. But if the cause of nasal congestion is an allergy to pollen or other impurities in the air, you should refrain from walking if possible.

30-03-2008, 03:00

Neurologist, pediatrician, ophthalmologist...:112:
We were examined by an ENT specialist - everything is fine, the nasal passages are not narrowed, there are no adenoids,
the nose is clean, the mucous membrane is not swollen - everything is perfect...:005:
The dentist looked at us - the bite is normal, but when closing the mouth, closing the teeth,
lips don't close...:016:

What the problem is is not clear...:008:
This backfires on us - on the street we always have an open mouth - frequent colds, therefore,
while eating, it is inconvenient for the child to close his mouth, he chews like a hamster, and his lips are like a tube,
if he doesn’t close his lips, some of the food jumps back out... I used to think he was just eating so sloppily.
I recently started paying attention to this, before that my son had a lot of health problems, he didn’t have any lips...:))
When I remark to him 100 times (especially outside in the cold) “shut your mouth,” he closes his mouth, but it’s clear that he has this unnatural state, his facial expression is tense and stupid, and he can’t stand it for long.
He is already tired of my comments, he simply covers his mouth with a scarf or helmet from below.

Maybe see a speech therapist?:008:

Alena Zhukova

30-03-2008, 03:06

Go to the orthodontist, perhaps trimming the frenulum under the upper and lower lips will improve the situation. We go to Dentideal from MAPO, www.dentideal.ru

30-03-2008, 03:47

I had an incident on this topic - I was going out with my boys (they were about two years old at the time, it was a terribly cold winter). There are two neighbors standing at the entrance (one of them is an ENT doctor). And suddenly I hear behind me, “She has adenoid children, modern mothers don’t look after their children at all: wife:.”
I pretended that I didn’t hear anything. But the second person (the one who is not an ENT specialist) meets us a few days later and reports - an ENT doctor saw you on the street and said that you have terrible adenoids, and then like where is your mother looking, etc. This really hurt me, because my boys are seasoned, their noses are always clean. Well, I complained about open mouths to doctors. So, weakness of the facial muscle is very often observed in twins (a neurologist told me this, and a normal ENT specialist naturally confirmed this). And our mouth was open just like that. Now we are 3, in my opinion it has become better. We have now been assigned a light matrix on the face (this is for speech), with the help of which the muscles are either relaxed or toned. So my advice is to see a speech therapist and neurologist. And there’s nothing wrong with that, you can still do a facial massage.

30-03-2008, 10:59

The dentist looked at us - the bite is normal, but when closing the mouth, the teeth are closed, the lips do not close...:016:
Our lips are not thin, our mouth is not small.

In theory, the dentist should have seen if it was the frenulum.
But I would still start with an orthodontist.
In general, maybe this is the structure of the face? Did I understand correctly that the lips do not physically close when the teeth are closed without additional tension?
In any case, a competent orthodontist can recommend who to contact next.

30-03-2008, 11:28

The dentist examined us more than a year ago, then we were not worried about this problem (we did not notice it), they checked our teeth.
A neurologist saw us the other day, so she asked what was going on and advised us to visit an ENT specialist.
ENT did not find any problems.
Well, let's go to the orthodontist...:008:

30-03-2008, 11:53

I don’t understand, if a child wants, then he can consciously close his lips?
My son’s mouth is also open all the time - and this is precisely the weakness of the facial muscles. We do gymnastics, and I also found out by chance - my eldest and I went to the orthodontist, and the nurse there looked at us and said - her mouth is also open all the time (although with my daughter it’s not so pronounced), she told us to buy wooden spatulas or a ruler and train our lips . The teeth are closed, and with the lips (not the teeth) you need to hold the skewer first across, and then along (i.e., it’s full length forward - it’s harder that way). And she also said to periodically place glasses of water in front of the child - take water into the mouth and hold it for as long as possible, then spit it out.

31-03-2008, 16:35

My Plato always has his mouth open, this can be seen in all the photos. :)
Somehow I didn’t pay attention before, but Lately all doctors draw my attention to this...:ded:
In general, please advise who to go to with this problem?:091:
Maybe see a speech therapist?:008:

This is the problem we have...:(

How are you doing with your facial muscles and the tone of your facial muscles in general? If this is the problem, then craniosacral techniques and speech therapy massages could help.

31-03-2008, 23:03

How are you doing with your facial muscles and the tone of your facial muscles in general? If this is the problem, then craniosacral techniques and speech therapy massages could help.

I don’t even know how we are doing with this...:005: How to evaluate this?:016:
In the last couple of months, I began to notice that when my son is nervous, he does something strange.
lips - like he has some kind of spasm - the corners of his lips diverge and go down, his jaw tenses, and his face unnaturally warps...:((like the smiley, only with his mouth open...)
What could this be...
He does this when something makes him angry, surprises him, or if I reprimand him in a loud voice...:005: I'm already afraid to raise my voice...:001:

31-03-2008, 23:20

I don’t even know how we are doing with this...:005: How to evaluate this?
I told the neurologist about this, but she didn’t see any visible problems with us, she even found noticeable improvements; she prescribed me to take phenibut for 1.5 months.
In general, I understood one thing - we need to see an orthodontist first, apparently, and then a speech therapist... Right?:008:

I'm certainly not a doctor. But orthodontist is not exactly the right direction. You have obvious neurological problems. You don’t want to consult, perhaps for a fee, but with some good neurologist. You will find reviews about them on the forum. If you have hyperkinesis, that’s one thing; if you have other disorders, then the recommendations will be different. A speech therapist could help in case of spasms of facial muscles or myotonus. From my own experience, I can say that you cannot trust the opinion of just one doctor. If you have doubts, seek help.

01-04-2008, 12:34

It is very difficult to understand what your child looks like from the description. The fact that it should be looked at by a competent specialist is certain, but in what area? You, as a mother, see for yourself what prevents your lips from closing - facial structure, length of the upper lip, tension/spasm of the facial muscles? Is your child's mouth closed during sleep at night? In a dream, you can connect his lips - are they long enough to close freely? Neurotic grimaces are one thing, physically non-closed lips are another. You should probably start with a competent and attentive pediatrician. Are you not observed at IRAV? It would be possible to see Klochkova (she is a neurologist) and a speech therapist there.

Hello, dear parents. In this article you will find out why a baby often opens his mouth. You will become aware that this may be preceded by a number of factors. Find out the dangers of not breathing through your nose. Find out how you can solve this problem.

Causes

A child can sleep with his mouth open if he has diseases of the ENT organs

Let's try to find the answer to the question of why a child opens his mouth more often than usual, let's look at the most common reasons for this.

Diseases of the ENT organs:

Dental problems:

frequent use of pacifiers;
early ;
malocclusion as a consequence of neurological abnormalities or rickets;
improperly developed dental system.

Muscle weakness of the perioral area. This reason can occur if a newborn opens his mouth too often; it is less common in preschoolers. This phenomenon before the age of one is not considered a serious deviation from the norm. But you shouldn’t ignore this either, because this phenomenon It may disappear on its own, or it may become a habit, leading to health problems.
Neurological problems. In addition to the main symptom, there will also be increased salivation, and the tip of the tongue may stick out. This may indicate both hypertonicity, ischemic lesions, and more serious pathologies.
Copying a bad habit. This reason is typical for children who start going to kindergarten and older. The kid simply copies, imitates someone.
neck muscles with back side, also the upper belt of the shoulders leads to active mouth breathing. This reason is typical for newborns. As a rule, it goes away after a couple of months and does not require treatment.
Consequences allergic reaction, because of which the toddler is not able to maintain nasal breathing.
A sleeping toddler may not have his mouth closed if he lies in an uncomfortable position or touches infants.

What is the danger

If treatment is not started in time, problems with posture may develop.

If a child sleeps with his mouth open or, when he is awake, his mouth is often open, then it is important to notice this in time, find out the reason for what is happening, and save the baby from this phenomenon.

When open oral cavity The baby most likely does not breathe through the nose, which can lead to serious consequences with health. It is important that the little one inhales the air through his nose so that he can moisturize, cleanse himself and warm up. In addition, when passing through the nasal sinuses, special brain receptors involved in blood gas exchange and controlling the flow of oxygen to the brain must be activated.

If a toddler does not breathe through his nose, he:

often catches colds, illnesses are more severe;
deviations appear with the bite;
posture deteriorates - there is a forward tilt of the head, which puts stress on the facial joint, and this leads to headaches, as well as pain in the lumbar region and along the entire spine;
there are problems with speech, cognitive skills deteriorate;
the child becomes depressed, sleep disturbance appears, the baby becomes inattentive and absent-minded;
development of adenoids is observed;
a double chin is formed;
the bridge of the nose widens, accompanied by a narrowing of the nasal passages;
lack of ability to close lips.

As you can see, inaction can lead not only to the appearance of pathological processes in the child’s body, but also to significant changes in his appearance.

How to act

If the reason is an uncomfortable bed, it needs to be replaced

Make sure your child falls asleep in a comfortable position, bed sheets does not cause him discomfort.
For your baby, you need to select an exceptionally high-quality pillow and a good mattress that follow all the physiological curves of the spine. In order for the little one to have good nasal breathing, it is necessary to ensure that the nasal sinuses are cleared.
If the cause is pathological processes, a visit to the clinic and consultation with a doctor is mandatory.
For a runny nose, a specialist will prescribe vasoconstrictors.
If there are diseases of the ENT organs provoked by the activity pathogenic microorganisms, then local antibiotics are prescribed.
If the cause is an allergic reaction, then taking antihistamines is mandatory.
If everything is to blame bad habit, then you need to control the child’s actions, make sure that he does not open his mouth again. If the baby is old enough, talk, pay attention to the fact that parents do not do this.
If you suspect a reason for which you need to contact a dental clinic, then go for a consultation. Don't delay.
If, along with a constantly open mouth, you notice other alarming symptoms, then immediately consult a neurologist.
If you can’t rid your child of this habit using home methods, you can turn to a psychologist for help.

If a child’s mouth is open more often than usual, then you need to think about what exactly causes such a reaction. Perhaps this is how the baby reacts to someone’s presence or to some events. If you suspect any pathological process, then hurry to your appointment at the clinic. Remember that the causes of a toddler's open mouth can also be serious illnesses. But you shouldn’t panic ahead of time, even if a pathology is identified, everything can be treated. The main thing is not to be idle and not to neglect the child’s condition.

The question of why a child’s mouth is constantly open is quite relevant and worrying for many parents. This phenomenon often occurs in our lives and, indeed, is a serious problem, because an open mouth is not only ugly and indecent, but also dangerous. Is your child's mouth constantly open? Maybe it's just bad habit, adopted from someone close or a consequence of frequent colds. It is likely that this is the result of respiratory failure or the consequences of physiological and psychological problems with health. Perhaps this is muscle failure, or maybe even a symptom of a serious neurological disease.

In any case, an open mouth is always a reason to think about the child’s health and an impetus for changing his behavior. Moreover, the constantly open mouth itself is also a gateway for new serious illnesses, as well as a source of new unpleasant consequences and problems in the life of a still little man. Therefore, today we, having studied many medical reference books and after analyzing similar real situations, we tried to find objective reasons why the child’s mouth is constantly open.

ENT diseases.

The most common reason why a child’s mouth is constantly open is the presence of any ENT diseases. The fact is that the adenoids, as well as chronic runny nose, otitis, rhinitis and sinusitis - all of this, together or separately, negatively affects the child’s breathing. A baby who breathes through his nose rather than his mouth sooner or later encounters a number of serious problems. The fact is that humans are naturally equipped with the function of breathing through the nose. It is justified by the fact that the inhaled air, passing through the nasal passages, is moistened, warmed and purified. At the same time, brain receptors are activated, which are directly involved in blood gas exchange, oxygen supply to the brain and in regulating the functioning of the entire body. It has been noticed that children who breathe through their mouths catch colds more often and get sick more often. They have problems with bite, posture, as well as with speech and, in general, with behavior and communication with other children. Due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, such children are often depressed and anxious state. They often have sleep disorders, they are more inattentive and quite restless.

Moreover, a baby who breathes through his mouth can be easily distinguished by his characteristic external signs. Such a child has a constantly open mouth, slightly upturned upper lip, the nostrils are narrower than usual, and the bridge of the nose is slightly wider. He has an elongated face shape, narrow shoulders and a sunken chest. To maintain balance, the posture of such a child also undergoes changes. It becomes characterized by a forward tilt of the head - and this is a serious load on the temporomandibular joint, which provokes headaches and facial muscle pain, as well as pain in the lumbar region and spine. This is exactly the portrait of a child who has problems with nasal breathing and whose body needs as soon as possible undergo examination and treatment. Because a constant runny nose and any other frequent ENT diseases easily turn into chronic forms, and breathing through the mouth becomes a habit, which sometimes cannot be gotten rid of even in adult life.

Dental diseases.

One more typical cause An open mouth may cause dental problems in a child. Early caries, destruction of the integrity of teeth and their complete loss along with adenoids, pacifier abuse, the habit of sucking fingers, rickets and neurological diseases negatively affects the formation of a child’s bite. Malocclusion affects how the tongue is positioned in the mouth, how its teeth and lips are closed. And the incorrect position of the tongue and the natural deformation of the jaws in this situation affect the processes of sucking, chewing, swallowing and, of course, breathing. Perhaps the child’s mouth is constantly open, because due to an incorrectly formed dental system, it is simply inconvenient for him to close it. Therefore, if your child has a constantly open mouth, visit the dentist and seek advice from an orthodontist in order to quickly cure dental diseases and correct the bite.

Weakness of the orbicularis oris muscle.

The orbicularis oris muscle is a tightly fused bundle of muscles that are located around the lips. A decrease in the tone of this muscle is a fairly common phenomenon in newborns, as well as in preschool and even younger children. school age. It is believed that an open mouth in children under one year of age is quite normal phenomenon, which is not worth worrying too much about, but also not worth ignoring. Although it may go away over time without any intervention from parents or doctors, open mouthing can still become a habit. And such a habit is dangerous for the development of mouth breathing in a child, a crooked bite and the onset of other health problems. Therefore, if you infant His mouth is constantly open, but he breathes through his nose and has no neurological problems, That special attention they don't pay attention to this. But for older children, the orbicularis oris muscle is strengthened. This is done with the help of facial massage and special speech therapy exercises.

Neurological problems.

However, if, along with an open mouth, the child has profuse salivation or the tip of his tongue is constantly sticking out, he needs to urgently contact a neurologist. Such symptoms indicate that the child has neurological problems: from ordinary hypertension and ischemic damage to the central nervous system to more serious diseases.

An adopted bad habit.

Is your child's mouth constantly open? Could this be an acquired phenomenon? If you previously did not notice the baby’s habit of keeping his mouth open, but by the age of 6-7 he suddenly began to actively do this, think and take a closer look, perhaps he is copying his friend or one of the adults. As a rule, at this age children are characterized by imitation, which passes quickly and does not require any action. However, to prevent open mouth from becoming a permanent habit, you should talk to your child and try to teach him to control his actions. At the same time, do not scold or yell at your child under any circumstances. Explain that this is ugly, uncivilized and threatens the development of serious diseases.

If your child's mouth is constantly open, do not panic, remember when your baby began to open his mouth: from birth or this happened quite recently under the influence of someone around him. Pay attention to how your baby breathes: through the mouth or through the nose. Observe your child how often his mouth is open, when he opens it, and under what circumstances. Perhaps he just occasionally opens it slightly out of zeal, surprise or attention. Well, if this happens all the time and if you are seriously concerned that the child’s mouth is constantly open, contact an ENT specialist, dentist, orthodontist and neurologist. There is a huge variety medicines and medical devices in order to get rid of certain diseases that provoke the habit of keeping the mouth open. There is also a huge variety various techniques in order to get rid of this habit, starting from facial massage and ending with special devices. The main thing to remember is that an open mouth is the source of many problems and the cause for the development of a number of diseases, so be vigilant and attentive towards your child.

If a child's mouth is constantly open, this indicates a habit or pathology. ENT diseases are the most probable cause this phenomenon in a baby. Adenoids, rhinitis, sinusitis, inflammation of the tonsils - these diseases do not allow the child to breathe normally and force them to breathe through the mouth. When the child recovers from them, mouth breathing may not stop and become a habit. This habit is dangerous because the air passing through the mouth is not warmed or purified. Because of this, the baby gets sick more often, and his treated tonsils become inflamed again, his adenoids grow, his bite and speech may even change - a vicious circle is formed.

Malocclusion

A child may breathe through his mouth due to dental diseases. Caries, crumbling and loss of teeth, regular sucking of pacifiers or fingers, rickets - all this can change the bite. An abnormal bite leads to improper positioning of the tongue in the mouth, which affects chewing, swallowing and breathing.

Neurology

Increased salivation and a constantly protruding tongue tip are a signal to visit a neurologist. In this case, the baby may have hypertension or ischemic lesion CNS.

Weakness of the orbicularis oris muscle

Why is the mouth of newborns open? This leads to a decrease in tone orbicularis muscle, located around the lips, and representing bundles of muscles fused with the skin. Mouth breathing in children of the first year of life is considered normal, but make sure that it does not develop into a bad habit.

A timely visit to a doctor and sessions with a psychologist will help eliminate the causes of mouth breathing. Regular massage, special devices for muscle training, exercises will help eliminate the problem if it is not related to the disease. During the examination, the doctor chooses a way to eliminate the deficiency, prescribing conservative or medicinal treatment.