Sleep Apnea Symptoms & Treatments
Kids
Signs/Symptoms of Sleep Apnea in Kids
The Airway Dentists focus on treating sleep apnea in children to save them from having lifelong breathing and sleeping problems. There are a few significant symptoms that will alert one of our dentists to investigate deeper. These include, but are not limited to:
- Teeth grinding
- Snoring
- Getting up throughout the night to use the bathroom
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Bedwetting
- Large tonsils
- Mouth breathing
The Importance of Recognizing the Symptoms
Recognizing the signs of sleep apnea is critical to your kids’ overall health and well-being. Many of the symptoms go unnoticed since there is such a high number of children with undiagnosed sleep apnea. Over time, sleep apnea will take a toll on your child’s body so it is imperative to get them treatment as soon as they start to show symptoms. The Airway Dentists are passionate about helping children overcome sleep apnea symptoms.
Treatment Options For Kids
When looking for a treatment for your child’s sleep disorder, you have a few options. It is important to note that there is not a treatment for sleep apnea as a whole, but The Airway Dentists work to improve the overall structure of your jaws which helps you breathe better. Your child’s treatment will vary depending on their symptoms.
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Expansion Dental Appliances
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Myofunctional Therapy
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Tongue Ties
Treatment with Expansion Dental Appliances
The Airway Dentists might recommend using expansion dental appliances to expand your child’s palate and provide more room for airflow in more severe cases of sleep-disordered breathing in children. Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME) is a procedure that involves wearing a custom-made expander over the top back teeth. The purpose of this treatment is to permanently correct the anatomy of a child’s mouth, which may have narrow or strongly arched hard palates.
Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy is a program used to correct the improper function of the tongue and facial muscles. This therapy involves the strengthening of the tongue and orofacial muscles by teaching children how to engage the muscles to the appropriate position. These exercises are designed to improve issues with talking, eating or breathing. Research has shown that this is an effective treatment method for sleep-disordered breathing.
Tongue Tie Treatment
It may be necessary to release your child’s tongue tie if that is causing their sleep disorder. Oftentimes, a child’s tongue will not sit correctly in their mouth, and in those cases, we will suggest a frenectomy to fix the issue. This will open up your child’s airway and prevent obstructions while they sleep while allowing their tongue to rest in the correct posture.
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