Have you noticed your child is behaving differently? Perhaps they are breathing through their mouth often or their breathing is labored and loud. It’s hard to know what to do in these situations and sometimes signs and symptoms of sleep related breathing disorders, also known in short as SRBD, often goes unaddressed in children.
How do we know what to look for? Ask your Dentist! The House of Delegates adopted an official policy statement at the American Dental Association 2017 – America’s Dental Meeting that states “Dentists are encouraged to screen patients for SRBD as part of a comprehensive medical and dental history.”
What Do I Look For?
- Sleep apnea – You may observe your child stops breathing or gasps taking in a breath during sleep. Pediatric sleep apnea is defined by The Mayo Clinic as “a sleep disorder in which your child’s breathing is partially or completely blocked repeatedly during sleep. The condition is due to narrowing or blockage of the upper airway during sleep.”
- Crowded teeth – This is when the teeth don’t quite grow in properly during childhood development. The teeth may be bunched together or growing in irregular directions. Crowded and crooked teeth are signs of jaw underdevelopment. Jaw underdevelopment can affect the upper airway structures leading to Sleep Related Breathing Disorders.
- Snoring – We have probably all heard snoring and probably experienced a few nights of snoring ourselves. Snoring is a sign your child’s breathing may be obstructing. Snoring becomes an issue when it is recurrent and it’s good to talk to a dentist about snoring no matter what age a patient is.
- Teeth Grinding – Teeth Grinding could be a sign that your child is struggling to breathe. As we move our jaw back and forth, we open our airway allowing us to get more air in. However, this is not a healthy way to breathe!
- Inability to focus – A dentist’s office isn’t always to the first place parents consider for help with an issue like a lack of focus in a child. Integrative Biological Dentists are conditioned to look at the broad spectrum of potential causes of issues with children and many parents are happy to discover that they can achieve better focus for their children while working towards a healthy smile.
The HealthyStart® and Vivos® Guided Systems Help with the Symptoms of Sleep Related Breathing Disorders
The HealthyStart® and Vivos® systems of appliances for children are a revolutionary way to address many symptoms that children experience with Sleep Related Breathing Disorders. Some issues do not seem direcerly corelated with disordered breathing, but many parents and patients report improved conditions with treatment with the HealthyStart® and Vivos® appliances. HealthyStart® and Vivos® are logical solutions for many child ailments.
Here is a full list of issues that the HealthyStart® and Vivos® appliances can potentially help to alleviate:
- ADD/ADHD
- Academic Challenges
- Arrested Growth
- Teeth Grinding
- Underdeveloped Jaw
- Bedwetting
- Chronic Allergies
- Crowded Teeth
- Aggressive Behavior
- Depression
- Mouth Breathing
- Sleep Apnea
- Snoring
- Nightmares
- Inability to Focus
“The HealthyStart® System works with the natural forces of tooth eruption. The soft, comfortable, removable devices gently guide the erupting teeth into their perfect alignments.
In addition, HealthyStart® aids in the correct growth and alignment of the lower jaw, expanding the arches to ensure space for incoming permanent teeth.”
“The HealthyStart® System is a system of appliances that “address a range of symptoms of Sleep Disordered Breathing, such as mouth breathing, inability to focus, academic challenges, bedwetting, snoring, nightmares, underdeveloped jaw, underdeveloped airway and more.”
What are parents saying?
“He has significantly less migraines. He has space for teeth. Teeth that couldn’t move down have now moved in.” – Ashley K.
“He has no more nightmares and no more bedwetting.” – A.T.
“I can see her teeth straightening out and her jaw getting wider. She says she sleeps better.” – Ashley, S.
Is Your Child a Candidate?
If you think your child is a candidate for HealthyStart® or Vivos®, take this quiz today!
If you would like to learn more about the HealthyStart® or Vivos® program, contact our office today to schedule a consultation or sign-up for our FREE online presentation Grow, Breathe, Sleep, Thrive!
OR Call (253) 863-7005
Dr. Carla Yamashiro, The Holistic Dentist
Ecologic Dentistry, PLLC
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