Did you know that the way your children use their mouth and facial muscles can shape how their faces and airways develop? From a young age, everyday habits like how a child breathes, swallows, chews, and rests the tongue play a big role in how the jaw and face grow— and how well the child can breathe, sleep, and speak.

When children breathe through the nose, keeping lips closed, and resting the tongue gently on the roof of the mouth, they are using the muscles of the face and jaw in a way that encourages healthy development. This helps the upper jaw grow wide and forward, creating enough space for adult teeth to come in straighter and allowing the airway to stay open and functional. It also supports a balanced, natural facial appearance.

But when these muscles don’ t work properly— as in some children who breathe through their mouth, have a tongue tie, or use a pacifier for too long— it can cause problems. Mouth breathing, for example, means the tongue sits low in the mouth, which can make the upper jaw narrow and the roof of the mouth high, as well as pull the lower jaw back resulting in a recessed chin. Over time, this can lead to crowded teeth, a longer face, and a smaller airway, which can affect sleep, energy, and focus during the day.

Chewing also plays an important part. Eating a variety of textured foods( not just soft ones) helps strengthen the chewing muscles, which encourages the lower jaw to grow forward in a healthy way. If children mostly eat soft or processed foods, their jaw muscles may not get enough use, which can slow or alter normal growth. If the muscles are not functioning properly and children are unable to comfortably or effectively chew harder foods, it may limit their food choices to softer and less-nutritious foods, contributing to poor nutrition and delayed development.

Even the muscles around the lips and cheeks can affect jaw development. For instance, tight cheek muscles can put pressure on the jaws and teeth, while weak lip muscles may make it hard to keep the mouth closed, which can contribute to long-term issues.

The good news is that many of these problems can be prevented or improved with early awareness and simple changes. Encouraging your children to breathe through the nose, chew well, and keep their lips closed can make a big difference. However, for most children, the poor muscle posture has already become a habit and that habit needs to be broken and the muscles retrained.

Working with a licensed myofunctional therapist can help retrain the muscles properly. Myofunctional therapy— fun, targeted exercises that help strengthen the mouth and face— can help guide healthy development. Dentists, pediatricians, and other specialists can work together to spot early signs of jaw and facial muscle issues and create a plan that supports your child’ s growth.

The top 5 signs and symptoms are: 1. Mouth breathing, day or night 2. Crowded teeth 3. Enlarged tonsils 4. Snoring 5. Behavior issues or ADHD-like symptoms

With knowledge comes power— and as a parent, understanding how everyday habits affect your child’ s jaw and airway development empowers you to make simple, meaningful changes. Early awareness allows you to take action before small issues become bigger problems. By encouraging healthy breathing, proper tongue posture, and good oral habits, you’ re not only supporting your children’ s growth— you’ re helping them thrive.

If you notice signs of concern, don’ t wait. Talk to a pediatric dentist, airway-focused provider, or myofunctional therapist to explore helpful next steps.

By supporting healthy muscle habits in your children early, you’ re not just helping their smile— you’ re helping them breathe better, sleep better, and grow into their full potential.

For more information and a free myofunctional therapy evaluation, visit myowaycenters. com or call 724.765.0001.

Leslie Pasco, DMD, CBBI, QOM-D President

724-765-0001

www. myowaycenters. com

drlesliep @ myowaycenters. com

NORTH ALLEGHENY | SUMMER 2025 9

IN North Allegheny Summer 2025 | Page 11

CHILDREN’ S HEALTH

HOW JAW AND FACIAL MUSCLES AFFECT A CHILD’ S GROWTH AND BREATHING