Sleep-Disordered
Breathing
Sleep apnea and poor sleep doesn’t just affect adults! Children suffering from sleep-disordered breathing are often misdiagnosed, untreated, and left without precious oxygen to fuel their growing bodies!
Early and Preventative Treatment is Life Changing
Pediatric breathing disorders are often caused by children breathing with their mouths during sleep, which is quite common. Over time, mouth breathing can lead to underdeveloped jaws and airways, potentially creating severe health problems.
Both children and parents should be educated about pediatric sleep-disordered breathing and know what signs to look for, when to seek help, and what the right therapy can do for their child.
The team at Dental Sleep Studio loves working with kids and helping them build life-long healthy breathing habits that can lead to open airways for life!
What You Need to Know
Does Your Child Show These Signs?
Symptoms in Older Children
Pediatric sleep-disorders breathing causes oxygen levels in the body to fall, triggering the brain to wake and take a breath. These pauses in breathing may happen for a few seconds at a time. and occur multiple times during your sleep cycle. Over time, this disorder can lead to complications, including heart and lung problems.
This condition is a pediatric version of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
You may be familiar with symptoms like snoring or ADHD, but other symptoms can indicate an airway problem.
Symptoms to watch for in infants under 1 year old:
- Mouth breathing
- Choking
- Gurgling
- Difficulty waking up
- Daytime fatigue
- Slow heartbeat
- Cyanosis
- Pauses in breathing
For children past infancy, the list of potential signs is even longer.
Children over 1 year old start showing more behavioral signs. Some of these symptoms present as dental conditions, behavioral conditions, but all are related to the root cause – an obstructed airway.
Sleep Behaviors:
- Mouth breathing
- Sleepwalking
- Sleeptalking
- Waking up at night
- Night sweats
- Bedwetting
- Nightmares
Behavioral Symptoms:
- Early ADHD/ADD diagnoses
- Difficulty listening and interrupting often
- Fidgeting with hands, legs, and body
- Difficulty in school
- Inability to concentrate
The 3 Pillars of Treating Sleep-Disordered Breathing
Myofunctional Therapy
Training the lips, tongue, and cheek help control valuable muscles that create space! This space gives your child the ability to breathe freely through their nose, expand their jaw and bite naturally, and position their muscles in a way that promotes an open airway.
Tongue Tie Release
Up to 10% of babies don’t experience this separation process as it should, and they end up with a tongue tie (ankyloglossia), i.e., the tissue under their tongue is too short, thick, or tight.
As a result, the movement of the tongue is restricted, which affects everything: how babies eat, breathe, and develop their mouth muscles.
Releasing this tie will help with feeding difficulties and speech delays and promote space in the oral cavity.
Airway Aligners
We can help provide your child with room for an open airway through the use of aligners! Aligners are traditionally used as an orthodontic solution for beautiful, full smiles, but the principles that allow for those full smiles are the same that keep airways open.
By reducing crowding in the mouth and expanding the jaw and palate through gentle pressure, not only will the structure of the face change, but the room for oxygen expands.