THE IMPORTANCE OF NASAL BREATHING
by DP Dental’s Dr Yue Weng Cheu

Studies have shown that nasal breathing is the ideal way to breathe. However, you may wonder why that is so. The mucous in the nose helps to filter, warm, humidify and slow down the air as we breathe. The paranasal lining also produce nitric oxide NO to help improve blood vessel dilations to increase oxygen exchange in the lungs. It is a strong antibacterial agent as well. If we use the mouth to breath, we will miss out on all the goodness of the nasal nourishment.
Mouth breathing reduces the oxygen supply that your body receives. It is associated with low tongue posture, which in turn, is causing airway obstruction. This is especially critical when sleeping, leading to snoring and even sleep apnoea. Oxygen reduction in the blood can cause heart attack and brain dysfunction. Some may experience daytime sleepiness and poor performance at work or in school.
“Borrowing the wise words of Stanford University Sleep researcher, the late Prof Christian Guilleminault: Mouth breathing is never normal.”
Change your habits today.
Content contributed by Dr. Yue Weng Cheu.
To find out more, visit our website at dpdental.com or call us at 6219 3082.
More questions answered by our dentists
- Should I be worried if my child’s teeth are coming in crooked? answered by Dr Yue Weng Cheu
- Why should I be concerned about my child’s mouth-breathing habit? answered by Dr Yue Weng Cheu
- How does tongue posture affect health and wellness? answered by Dr Yue Weng Cheu
- What happens if you ignore losing a tooth? answered by Dr Loh Ee Tyug
