An equal-opportunity affliction.
No medical professionals I checked with believed the slack-jawed look is any more common among old people than with bewildered youth. But old or young, the most likely cause is chronic mouth breathing, maybe caused by nasal obstruction or weak diaphragm or abdominal muscles. A slouched, head-forward posture can also produce that Neanderthal jaw-drop. Poorly fitting dentures might keep more seniors than juniors open-mouthed, but all in all, it’s an equal-opportunity affliction, according to experts.
My mother-in-law (98) is no exception. Still walking and talking.
Hemyock, Devon, UK.
An equal-opportunity affliction.
No medical professionals I checked with believed the slack-jawed look is any more common among old people than with bewildered youth. But old or young, the most likely cause is chronic mouth breathing, maybe caused by nasal obstruction or weak diaphragm or abdominal muscles. A slouched, head-forward posture can also produce that Neanderthal jaw-drop. Poorly fitting dentures might keep more seniors than juniors open-mouthed, but all in all, it’s an equal-opportunity affliction, according to experts.
My mother-in-law (98) is no exception. Still walking and talking.
Hemyock, Devon, UK.