Mouth breathing toddler

[Aries456]

Hi, my nearly 5 year old had his tonsils and adenoids out before her was 3. But I have noticed lately (alerted by something someone shared on FB) that mouth breathing isn't right and is a problem. Quite a few of the symptoms thst accompany it relate to my son (up v early, tired a lot, grinding teeth, crowded teeth). Basically I want to get it sorted out but no idea where to start. Do I see GP? Would the refer me ENT or a sleep clinic? I am happy to go private as have had bad experiences waiting on NHS ENT referrals. Has anyone had this or knows anything about it? Thanks x

IS this the facebook thing being shared that mouth breathing createsa ADHD symptoms?

Why is breathing through your mouth a problem??

I do; I had huge tonsils and tiny nasal passages apparently so can't breathe through my nose for long.

I got my tonsils out then they grew back! 🤮

What's the issue?

Perhaps they’ve grown back?

Another mouth breather here.
Tonsils out, adenoids partially.
It''s automatic for me to mouth breathe, I find I'm much more aware of my breathing when I have to use my nose or well nostril lol. Yeah it could be a regrowth maybe.

If he's already had his tonsils and adenoids out then I'm not sure what else ENT could do? I think I saw that Facebook post too and the cure was the tonsillectomy? Did he previously have a sleep study prior to getting his tonsils out, then a follow up sleep study?

Adult mouth breather here. At the age of 33 I am awaiting surgery on my jaw caused by disc displacement, caused by... You guessed it, teeth grinding. It's agony and I only wish someone had got me checked out as a child, I could have gotten some help, even if it was just a night bite guard. So what if it turns out to be nothing, it could well be something. Unfortunately the NHS is massively under resourced in this area, but a dentist or Dr can refer you to max-fax consultants. Please go with your gut here.

Have a look at myofunctional therapy and the myobrace. It seems to be better researched in Australia than the uk.

Thank you all for messaging. Yes it is the facebook thing that I saw. It basically says it means the brain doesn't get as much oxygen at night and it causes sleep deprivation which can then lead to ADHD symptoms. My son is a bit hyper when he is tired, but it isn't something I have never been worries about, I know he is just tired. I guess I am feeling worried / guilty because I am sure he had a milk allergy when he was a baby (my 2 later children did) but I was fobbed off by the doctor and he also had seriously bad sleep apnea/ speech / food issues because if his tonsils but again I was fobbed off by an NHS consultant. In both cases I didn't realise how much he was suffering... I don't want to make the same mistake again and miss something else that is a problem. But equally I don't want to march into the doctors because I have read something on social media and immediately decided my son has that problem!!
Omg i had no idea they could grow back!! He was a silent sleeper straight after for a few months, to the point I had to keep checking he was breathing (previously we could hear him snoring the other side of the house). I will certainly take a look!!
I am sorry to hear about your trouble with it @demented01, I really hope the surgery helps you. Sorry, but what is max-fax?

@sammy867 I will look at what you have suggested, thank you.
@beemybaby no we didn't do a sleep study. There were many problems associated with the tonsils, not just the sleep but when the surgeon took them out he said they had become flat where they were pushed together so often at night (closing his airway).

Tonsils only grew back if they weren’t removed properly.

Hi op,
It's maxillofacial. They deal with all things jaw and mouth related.

Thank you @demented01

I breathe through my mouth, my DH takes the mickey out of me. Breathing just through my nose seems to me more an effort it seems, except when eating when I do it automatically.
Don't think I have a medical reason, never had tonsillitis or whatever.
I did used to have a crowded mouth of teeth though and a lot of colds when a child, so maybe it's a habit from back then.

I watched this earlier in the week, which might interest you: