We often take our ability to breathe for granted. It should come naturally, but if we are not breathing properly — through the nose and down into the diaphragm — we may not be getting the full benefit of it. The quality of our oxygen suffers, and the whole body feels the consequences.
 
Many things affect our ability to breathe the way we were meant to. The mouth is the gateway to breathing, so that is where I start. The base of the tongue can sit in the way of the airway opening and change how we breathe. The tongue is also connected to the diaphragm through a network of fascia, and the diaphragm does more than move air — it affects whole-body health. This article explains that relationship well.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731110/
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Another factor that greatly influences our breathing the size of our airway and upper and lower arches.  One of the best things an orthodontist or dentist can do for a child is evaluate them early to evaluate their airway development.  While traditional orthodontics focus on creating a beautiful smile, an airway-focused professional aims to guide the growth and development for the sake of the childs long term health.  Starting in preschool years, an airway-focused provider can work to guide the growth and development of the airway for your child.  Somewhere before the pre-teen years, the majority of the natural growth has already taken place.  Fortunately, there are some dentist and orthodontist who have become passionate about whole body health and have found ways to successfully expand a persons upper and lower arch to increase their ability to breathe. Another factor is the size of the airway and of the upper and lower arches. One of the best things a dentist or orthodontist can do for a child is look at airway development early. Traditional orthodontics focuses on a beautiful smile; an airway-focused provider is guiding growth for the sake of the child's long-term health. That work can begin in the preschool years, because by the pre-teen years most natural growth has already happened. A growing number of dentists and orthodontists have become passionate about whole-body health and have found ways to expand a person's upper and lower arches to improve their ability to breathe.

Expanding the arches is ideal during the growth years, but there are options for older children and even adults whose growth is complete. Oral Myofunctional Therapy on its own re-establishes the muscle patterns that breathing depends on. The tongue is the body's own growth and support system for the upper arch — resting in the palate, it helps stimulate the growth plates and helps retain expansion. When the tongue sits low, that stimulus is lost. Lip seal matters too, shaping overall facial development. Therapy can play a real part in growth and development. Where the airway is the focus, though, collaboration with other providers is usually what gets a person to their goal. Your dentist or orthodontist can determine your expansion options and myofunctional therapy serves to support the process and the retention.