How Facial Changes Affect Sleep

How Facial Changes Affect Sleep

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Welcome to another episode of More Than Teeth Podcast, hosted by Dr. Michael Bennett, a board-certified expert in cranial pain and sleep disorders. In this insightful episode, Dr. Bennett explores how facial development—something most of us associate with cosmetics or orthodontics—plays a foundational role in breathing, airway health, and lifelong sleep quality.

Drawing from anthropology, clinical experience, and personal history, Dr. Bennett reveals how underdeveloped facial structures are more than an aesthetic concern. They are often the root cause of chronic snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, fatigue, and even facial pain.

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Why Facial Structure Matters More Than You Think

At first glance, our facial features may seem purely cosmetic. But as Dr. Bennett emphasizes, form follows function. When our upper and lower jaws do not grow to their full genetic potential, it leads to more than just crooked teeth—it compromises our ability to breathe efficiently through the nose.

This structural limitation begins early. Anthropological evidence shows that human skulls from just a few centuries ago commonly displayed wide jaws, spacious sinuses, and full sets of 32 teeth—including wisdom teeth—with no need for extraction or orthodontics. These skulls reflect robust facial development, allowing for optimal nasal breathing.

By contrast, modern skulls often display:

• Narrow dental arches
  
  
• Crowded or misaligned teeth
  
  
• Receded chins and weak cheekbones
  
  
• High rates of wisdom tooth extraction and orthodontic correction
  
  

These physical changes aren’t just aesthetic—they indicate narrowed airways, which can significantly compromise breathing during sleep.

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The Link Between Airway and Appearance

To better understand this connection, Dr. Bennett encourages listeners to perform a simple self-check: place your fingers above your upper teeth and trace upward toward your nose. The bone you’re feeling is shared between the upper jaw and the nasal base. That means any underdevelopment of the upper jaw directly reduces the size of your nasal airway.

As Dr. Bennett explains, many public figures and elite athletes, like LeBron James, possess broad upper jaws, symmetrical arches, and strong cheekbones—features that contribute not only to aesthetics but also to better oxygen intake and physical endurance.

So why don’t most people develop faces like that anymore?

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Epigenetics and Modern Facial Underdevelopment

Dr. Bennett attributes modern facial changes largely to epigenetic factors—influences on gene expression caused by environment, nutrition, and lifestyle, especially before conception and during early development.

Some key contributors include:

• Parental nutrition: Poor maternal and paternal diets can result in improper gene expression, affecting bone and facial growth in offspring.
  
  
• Mitochondrial DNA: Passed exclusively from mothers, mitochondrial health—often shaped by maternal nutrition and toxicity exposure—plays a key role in energy production and cell development.
  
  
• Modern food processing: Overly processed foods (especially pasteurized, homogenized dairy and soft, nutrient-poor diets) fail to stimulate the jaw and facial bones during growth.
  
  

This leads to narrower palates, smaller jaws, misaligned bites, and most importantly—compromised airway space.

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The Role of the Tongue in Facial Development

The tongue plays a surprisingly critical role in shaping the face. According to Dr. Bennett, during infancy and childhood, tongue posture and swallowing behavior drive the expansion of the upper jaw and palate. With over 2,000 swallows a day, a properly positioned tongue stimulates the facial bones to grow outward and upward—producing strong cheekbones, proper spacing for teeth, and a healthy airway.

However, if a child cannot breathe properly through their nose—due to allergies, dietary inflammation, or structural blockages—they begin to mouth-breathe. Mouth breathing allows the tongue to drop from its ideal position on the roof of the mouth, halting the stimulation needed for proper growth.

Additionally, tongue ties—a restriction of the tissue beneath the tongue—can further prevent upward pressure, even if nasal breathing is adequate. This can lead to serious underdevelopment and narrow airways despite otherwise healthy habits.

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Facial Underdevelopment: How to Recognize It

Dr. Bennett outlines several signs of facial underdevelopment, including:

• Crowded or misaligned teeth
  
  
• Overbites, underbites, or crossbites (malocclusions)
  
  
• Recessed chins or flat cheekbones
  
  
• Frequent use of makeup or grooming to create the illusion of bone structure
  
  
• Visible tongue scalloping (teeth imprints on the tongue)
  
  
• Tongue resting low in the mouth or not reaching the palate
  
  
• TMJ dysfunction, clicking, popping, or jaw pain
  
  

These features are not just cosmetic—they often correlate with restricted breathing, especially during sleep.

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A Personal Journey with Underdevelopment

Dr. Bennett shares his own experience as a case study. Growing up on a farm, he consumed raw milk that was sometimes unfiltered or contaminated, potentially leading to early allergies and inflammation. As a child, he had multiple teeth removed and underwent braces, causing significant discomfort.

Ultimately, he lost eight permanent teeth—four premolars for orthodontic space and four wisdom teeth—reducing his total from 32 to 24. This crowding, coupled with a constricted oral cavity, left no space for his tongue, contributing to significant snoring and eventual sleep apnea.

Only later in life, after undergoing nasal surgery and learning more about airway and sleep medicine, did he realize just how much his underdevelopment impacted his health—including respiratory infections, fatigue, and poor sleep.

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What Can Be Done?

The good news, Dr. Bennett assures listeners, is that hope is not lost—even for adults. Today, we have a clearer understanding of how facial underdevelopment forms and how to intervene:

• Dietary improvements before and during pregnancy can improve genetic expression and reduce risk for underdevelopment.
  
  
• Breastfeeding, proper chewing (with whole foods), and early detection of mouth breathing or tongue ties can significantly alter developmental outcomes.
  
  
• Adults can benefit from orthotropic appliances and biomimetic treatments that guide the growth of bone structures, restoring space for the tongue and airway function.
  
  

In future episodes, Dr. Bennett promises to delve deeper into solutions for children and adults, the role of nutrition, the influence of early childhood behaviors, and the science behind orthotropic growth techniques.

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Final Thoughts: It’s More Than Aesthetic—It’s Life-Saving

As Dr. Bennett reminds us, facial development is not merely a matter of looks. It directly influences our ability to breathe, sleep, and live vibrantly. From preconception to adulthood, factors such as diet, nasal function, tongue posture, and epigenetics all shape our health outcomes.

If you're struggling with snoring, fatigue, facial pain, or you’ve ever wondered why your jaw feels small or your breathing labored, the answer may lie in how your face developed—and what can still be done about it.

Stay tuned for upcoming episodes of More Than Teeth Podcast, where Dr. Bennett will discuss detailed solutions to these developmental challenges and introduce frameworks for evaluating breathing, inflammation, posture, and neurological health.

Until then, remember: the face is more than appearance—it’s a gateway to health. Let’s unleash its healing potential through sleep.

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