“Most people I talk to now know what Sleep Apnea is, and everyone understands snoring. It’s a disease of older fat men, right?”
Not quite.
Did you know that a significant number of children have Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) now that can become the full-blown Sleep Breathing Disorders of adulthood?
Did you also know that a sleep breathing disorder – like snoring – in an infant can lead to behavior and attention deficit issues by ages 4-7? It affects the way oxygen gets to all parts of the body, including the brain.
The issue is now important enough that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued guidelines on treatment of children with SDB and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. For instance, if your child has swollen tonsils and adenoids that are preventing easy nighttime breathing, they should be removed even if there are no recurrent ear infections.
Certain children that have narrow jaws, long shaped faces, and smaller than normal spaces in the back of the throat and nose, make it easier for breathing to become stopped up. Even moderate size tonsils in a small throat can cause trouble.
Dr. Sexton and Dr. Esterkyn are well educated in the diagnosis of Sleep Disordered Breathing and is ready to help get your child to a sleep specialist. The specialist may recommend a sleep study to diagnose the precise extent of the problem and will prescribe the appropriate treatment. Dr. Sexton and Dr. Esterkyn use sleep-friendly orthodontics techniques so that the health of your child’s breathing and airways will be a large part of his orthodontic treatment planning.