“Do you breathe through your mouth at night?” It is not the question most patients expect from their dentist. But for Dr David Cowhig, it is often the most revealing one, particularly when worn front teeth, gum disease, or unexplained decay are sitting in the chair in front of him.
In a recent Mouth Health Natters conversation with Alana Inwood, certified Buteyko practitioner and founder of Breathscape, the discussion kept returning to one idea that rarely gets enough attention: the airway is where dental health and whole-body health meet.
The Mouth Was Never Designed for Breathing
When air enters through the mouth rather than the nose, the mouth dries out. Saliva depends on moisture to do its job — maintaining a stable pH and protecting against harmful bacteria. Without it, that balance shifts. As the oral environment becomes more acidic, the bacterial strains associated with gum disease and tooth decay find more favourable conditions to thrive.
There is also a structural dimension that is easy to overlook. As Alana Inwood explains, one of the tongue’s jobs is to press up against the palate — and it is that repeated pressure during development that encourages the upper arch to grow broadly. When breathing shifts to the mouth, the tongue drops and sits against the lower teeth instead. The upper arch narrows, the lower jaw adapts to fit, and crowding follows. As Dr Cowhig puts it, historical dental practice often compounded the problem — extracting teeth to create space that was already too small. The tongue, he says, wants to live in a big barn but ends up in a two-bedroom flat.
What Happens When the Jaw Compensates
The consequences do not stop at the gums. Patients who struggle to breathe through the nose during sleep often present with flattened or chipped front teeth, a forward head tilt, and visible neck and shoulder muscle tension. The body, in its effort to open the airway during sleep, pushes the jaw forward, and the front teeth wear flat and begin to chip.
This is also why nasal breathing matters directly to implant patients. Mouth breathing increases the likelihood of nocturnal clenching, which elevates the risk of implant failure. For Dr Cowhig, establishing adequate nasal airflow before any significant dental procedure is not an optional extra — it is part of the foundation. Nasal breathing also produces nitric oxide, a gas that triggers vasodilation (relaxing and widening blood vessels) and supports the body’s natural regulation of inflammation. Bypassing the nose means bypassing this mechanism entirely.
Where to Begin — and What to Expect
Alana Inwood uses a baseline assessment called the Control Pause to establish where a patient’s breathing currently sits. The method is straightforward: after a relaxed exhale, the breath is held until the first definite urge to breathe. The result, measured in seconds, offers a useful indicator of carbon dioxide tolerance — a factor that underlies how efficiently oxygen is delivered to tissues. Under 20 seconds suggests meaningful room for improvement; under 10 is not uncommon in people with anxiety, chronic fatigue, or disrupted sleep.
For those wanting to begin without clinical supervision, the most practical entry point is simply noticing. Lips sealed during a walk. Nose breathing is maintained during gentle movement. The first few days often feel effortful — slightly restricted, a little uncomfortable. That sensation is normal, and it tends to ease within a week as the body adapts. Slowing the pace to maintain nasal breathing through those moments, rather than opening the mouth, is where the adaptation begins to take hold.
Building the Habit
Breathing patterns do not live only in exercise. Alana assesses breathing across the full 24-hour cycle — the commute, desk hours, wind-down, and sleep. A useful anchor is any activity that is already habitual: a lunch break walk, the first few minutes at a desk in the morning. Lips closed, exhalation slightly longer than the inhalation. Done consistently, the pattern begins to feel less like a technique and more like a default.
For anxious breathers, Alana Inwood recommends humming as a gentler entry point. The vibration stimulates the vagus nerve, and she notes it increases nasal nitric oxide production by around 70%.
When to Seek Assessment
For those with a history of snoring, disrupted sleep, or persistent dental problems, a clinical conversation is worth having sooner rather than later. A Conebeam CT can reveal the anatomy of the nasal passages, the position of the tongue, and whether a deviated septum is limiting airflow — details that no surface assessment can provide. On mouth taping, Dr Cowhig is direct: ENT specialists have raised concerns about pulmonary hypertension in people who tape without knowing the state of their airway. The risk is real, and for children it is particularly serious.
What Becomes Possible
Not every dental problem has a breathing component. But for patients whose teeth keep wearing, whose gums won’t fully settle, whose sleep never feels quite restorative — the airway is often part of the story that has not yet been told.
The nose was designed for breathing. Returning to that natural function may be one of the most meaningful things a person can do for their oral and general health.
Keep Smiling,
It’s good for You!
It’s good for You!
Dr David Cowhig, the founder of the Dental Wellness clinics, is a pioneer in holistic metal free dentistry & aesthetics, providing scientific-based biological dentistry. We support you as an individual and take into account the variety of factors that can lead to dental and oral health problems. We believe passionately that creating health and beauty around us is an integral part of life and you will feel these qualities in our dental care. You can find us at The Gap in Brisbane, focussing on holistic aesthetic total metal-free dentistry.
Contact Dental Wellness on 07 3511 1399 or email [email protected].
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