Sunday 3 August 2014

The mouth breathers dilemma: The art of symmetry

Most would say that their genetic predisposition, linking to their fascial development i.e. aesthetics, is solely responsible for their "good looks", and the parent would have a lot to do with that outcome.
To some degree, I would agree. But each person has the power to control many of the keys that define beauty. Would you be surprised to know prominent, well-defined cheekbones, a square jawline, hollowed cheeks, and balanced facial features also indicate health? a beautifully developed face pays with enormous health gains.


The importance and understanding of symmetry is represented and seen most noticeably in the wild. For if a male lion is to attract his opposite number and effectively reproduce, he must not only show sexual intelligence and strength, but also present symmetry throughout. A wounded, hungry  under developed lion is less likely to win approval and get the 'thumbs up', if he shows any signs of genetic and aesthetic 'a'-symmetry… Think about it.. in nature there isn't much choice, so by passing on a genetic make-up that lacks stability and immunity, the lower the chances of successful continuation and adaptation..!  


Whilst becoming the greatest
expression of yourself is important,
it may help on all levels.
The modern man still hasn't quite lost his understanding and connection to symmetry and its importance. Early years of bodybuilding always resolved around health, strength, athleticism and balance and even todays bodybuilders share at least one of those skills. The art of 'balance' or symmetry is a key component if one is to achieve the critics and judges vote of approval. So for many years and endless hours is dedicated to balancing and shaping their systems, to what degree? is all individual, but the end product must always be the same. 

Regarding the act of mouth breathing and its role in effecting ones symmetry.  
Before the age of 12, children’s bones are somewhat soft and still very much immature. If a child consistently mouth breathes for any reason, often because of unresolved allergies, exposure to excessive aerobic activity, poor musculoskeletal posture etc.. these habits can create a 3-dimensional facial contraction.
Sisters:

Left: This child generally breathes through her mouth. 

Right: Her sister predominantly nasal breathes. 

Note differences in muscle tension, facial angles, 

 proportion– and beauty.
The face becomes long and narrow, so front teeth crowd. The lower third of the face grows down and backwards, underdeveloped jaws crowd their back teeth and lead to wisdom tooth impactions. As the lower jaw line trends from horizontal to vertical, it inhibits tongue positioning and airway space. The tongue becomes like a "high street towny in rural India"…LOST in space. Not only does this lead to relationship-breakers such as snoring, but also to life-threatening sleep apnea.

Though it is easy to diss and critic the mouth breather, we must consider that a mouth breather must of necessity rest his tongue on the floor of his mouth due to the downward motion of the lower jaw. But if the tongue does not properly lock onto the roof of the mouth front-to-back, the muscles (supra/infrahyoid) do not counterbalance the inward forces of cheek musculature. The face narrows in a second dimension as cheek muscles crush the palate (the arch formed by the roof of the mouth). Front teeth also crowd, further constricting tongue space, obstructing nasal breathing. They also subtract from sinus and eye orbit space, leaving the cheekbones underdeveloped and sunken. 
If a person continues to mouth breath
throughout life, all airway spaces will
continue to decrease, forcing them
to need to mouth breath
 (viscous cycle)

High, defined cheekbones are key to beauty and health. Jaw width and upper jaw position create cheek fullness. The maxilla bone is one of the crucial elements in facial beauty. Anatomically it makes up one third of facial structure, provides the support for the mid-face and if it is forward then the patient will have 'good bone structure' and attractive eyes!

But if for some reason the individual has promoted vertical (long) growth and the tongue has been forced out of position during any prolonged stages of development, it will give the patient a sleepy look and some of the white sclera of the eye may be visible below the iris. This always looks unattractive and is a reliable sign of severe faulty 'maxillary-posterior-positioning' (down or back).

Below is an extremely interesting and all to common case study presented by Dr Mews, a highly respected orthodontist of which his work has become popular due to the non surgical approaches to restructuring individuals cranial features all throughout the 1900's. (Many other case studies can be found at the first link below)


Dr Mews patients



Over the past few decades, Dr Mews assistant has taken a photograph of the face of every child that Dr Mew has treated.

This ten-year-old boy is a nose breather and has a good-looking, broad face with everything in proportion. In other words, everything is in its right place. The boy exhibits well-defined eyes, cheekbones, lips and chin.

On the boys fourteenth birthday, he was given a gerbil as a present. Soon after, his nose began to block, causing him to breathe through his mouth. Within three years, his face had changed its shape considerably.

The above photograph is of the boy at age seventeen. Because he kept his mouth open from the ages of 14 until 17, his face grew downwards instead of in width. His face became narrow and long. His jaws are set back from their perfect and natural position. He now has a double chin and his jaws come back on his airways, resulting in smaller airways. This creates health problems such as sleep apnoea. His nose looks far bigger because his jaws do not come forward enough, and his cheeks are sunken as his face drags everything downwards. This face is typical of the  hundreds of thousands of children who breathe through their mouths.


A solution to the mouth breathing pollution will be coming up in full, in a following blog. 

But for now, take the time to understand how your breathing, where your tongue sits 'naturally' and to think twice about solely blaming your parents if at anytime you feel your not as 'good looking' as your best friend…! 

Take control, get pretty, close your mouth..


Beatle.



  1. http://www.buteykochildren.com/mouth_breathing_and_facial_development.php
  2. http://www.tmj.ro/article.php?art=524124766124496

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