Airway Issues play a huge role in the development of children and they can continue to cause problems well into adulthood.
As a Neuromuscular Dentist I am interested in evaluating all of my patients for the following:
Symptoms-
Mouth Breathing Ringing in the Ears
Dry Mouth Earache without infection
Snoring Vertigo (Dizziness)
Tired Upon Awakening Chronic Allergies
Cervicalgia (pain/ muscle tightness back of head/neck)
These three photos show a young man at age 9 who is developing nicely and has no esthetic issues. Unfortunately, shortly after the photos were taken, he took ownership of a pet gerbil, that he was allergic to. The subsequent changes in his facial profile, flattened cheeks, open lips, and nose changes are a result of fighting to get air.
Notice how his lower jaw is now set back quite a bit.
Quite a different appearance due to not being able to breathe through his nose.
Extra-Oral Signs- (things that I see outside the mouth)
Rolled Lower Lip Facial Asymmetry
Dry Lips Deep Mentalis Crease (Above the chin)
Lips Apart Chronicallly Deviated Septum
Dark Circles Under Eyes Nose Pointing Upward