Chronic
mouth breathing may adversely affect craniofacial development in children and may result in anatomical changes that directly impact the stability and collapsibility of the upper airway during sleep.
Mouth breathing is a multifactorial problem that can be attributed to structural, functional, and neurological etiologies, which are not all mutually exclusive. While therapeutic interventions (myofunctional, speech and swallowing, occupational, and craniosacral
therapy) may address the functional and behavioral factors that contribute to
mouth breathing, progress may sometimes be limited by restrictive lingual and labial frenum that interfere with tongue and lip mobility. This case report explores the case of a three-year-old girl with
mouth breathing,
snoring, noisy breathing, and oral phase
dysphagia that was successfully treated with lingual and labial frenuloplasty as an adjunct to
myofunctional therapy. Within four days of the procedure, the patient had stopped
snoring and demonstrated complete resolution of open
mouth breathing. The patient was also observed to have increased compliance with
myofunctional therapy exercises. This report highlights the effectiveness of surgical interventions to improve the efficacy of
myofunctional therapy in addressing open mouth posture and low tongue resting position.