It's funny I've heard the saying "close your mouth or you'll catch flies". I never really thought that keeping your mouth closed would have medical implications. Perhaps if you were a member of the mob. Now that I am a dentist I realize that mouth breathers usually have permanent gingivitis.While this is not as bad as it sounds it still gives the person red and bleeding gums. This is the extent to which I was taught mouth breathing affected people.
It now seems that mouth breathing has other and more serious considerations. There is a strong correlation between breathing rate and a number of diseases Asthma being one. It also has effects on posture- the head and neck are extended creating muscle stress. The abdomen and diaphragm are impacted. Which causes a loss of muscle strength. There is Long Face syndrome which is pretty much what the name implies... a long face which was thought to be genetic but the culprit is mouth breathing. It also turns out that nasal (through the nose) breathing supplies more oxygen to the blood than mouth breathing. This is a brief overview a more indepth analysis of breathing is found by reading Patrick McKeown and the seminal works of Konstantin Buteyko.
This is Al, and I want to thank you, Dr. Efron, for your procedure of patiently explaining to me, indeed as no other dentist did -- until I really understood -- the pros and cons of extracting or not extracting my infected tooth # 18.
ReplyDeleteI am moved to let people know that, "in my book," the way I was "handled" by Dr. Efron and his assistants Jasmine and Julie before, during the extraction, and after, is the way all health practitioners -- particularly dentists -- ought to handle their patients:
Dr. Efron's explaining of the ramifications of what was likely, or what might, happen within my body if I decided to choose OR not choose to have that infected tooth removed, let me truly decide if I wanted to proceed ... which I did ...
He did NOT subject my gums or the area surrounding the tooth to any trauma, and he told me what to do, if needed, after the extraction. Plus I got a copy of those instructions at the front desk on my way out -- and a call after I arrived home just to check up on me.