Your body posture will be important to all the stuff with your teeth, and you can definitely start to work on that now. For me, Mike  Mew's Abs Walk and sleeping on my back with no pillow were really effective places to start. I imagine that keeping your teeth closed, however they do close, can only be a good thing.

Congrats on getting your nose breathing going! That's a big acheivement. Lip seal may be the next place to look, as it co-occurs with mouth breathing and may not have spontaneously resolved when your breathing changed.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's not paying for your braces that was your parents mistake. The world is full of poor people who really can't afford braces, and they are not bad parents. It's more the little habits of posture they didn't coach you in, because like most people they didn't know it has health consequences.

I like to think of it all coming down to Mary Poppins saying, "Close your mouth, Michael. We are not a codfish."  Sit up straight at the table, honey, chew with your mouth closed. Many of the things we think of as hassling our kids about their bad manners, are really laying the foundation of good health and growth. But you are young, and with diligence your body will adapt to good habits rapidly. I'm 40, and I'm seeing visible change. You will do well.

Posted by: elevee

Your body posture will be important to all the stuff with your teeth, and you can definitely start to work on that now. For me, Mike  Mew's Abs Walk and sleeping on my back with no pillow were really effective places to start. I imagine that keeping your teeth closed, however they do close, can only be a good thing.

Congrats on getting your nose breathing going! That's a big acheivement. Lip seal may be the next place to look, as it co-occurs with mouth breathing and may not have spontaneously resolved when your breathing changed.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's not paying for your braces that was your parents mistake. The world is full of poor people who really can't afford braces, and they are not bad parents. It's more the little habits of posture they didn't coach you in, because like most people they didn't know it has health consequences.

I like to think of it all coming down to Mary Poppins saying, "Close your mouth, Michael. We are not a codfish."  Sit up straight at the table, honey, chew with your mouth closed. Many of the things we think of as hassling our kids about their bad manners, are really laying the foundation of good health and growth. But you are young, and with diligence your body will adapt to good habits rapidly. I'm 40, and I'm seeing visible change. You will do well.

Thanks for answer! I will definitely check out abs walk and lip seal. When it comes to sleeping on back without pillow, I've used to do it, even used to sleep on hard floor, I should probably start with it again.

And just to clarify, I've never called my parents "bad", I don't even know why I've mentioned how it happened that I've never got braces despite needing them. It's just that they are sometimes irresponsible and passive... Back then I could get braces for free, but I guess they were too lazy to take me to dentist few times. Anyways, I'm still trying to adopt "Everything that happens to me is my fault" mindset, but frustrations I'm getting from inability to close my mouth normally are my biggest obstacle. It irritates me so much to know that all of these problems wouldn't even exist if they got me braces when I was younger. And yet they don't see problem in any of that...

Gosh, I don't think you need to believe that everything that happens to you is your fault. It's just that usually, once we are grownups, we are the ones who are best able, most motivated, and therefore most likely to solve whatever problems we have. It's not assigning fault, it's taking responsibility. 

Also, braces would certainly not have solved your problem, if you were a mouth breather with poor posture. Most likely your teeth would have quickly relapsed as long as those habits were intact. And an orthodontist might have guided your parents toward any number of harmful procedures that might have left you in worse case than you are now. 

The good thing is that you appear to have your natural teeth, a starting knowledge of good habits, and a supportive community here. There is a lot you can do! Be sure to document your starting place with impressions or photos, and you will see progress with time.