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Does YOUR Child Have Sleep Disordered Breathing?

Clarkston's Regiani Holistic Dental Center Announces New Treatment Program

by Sherry Regiani

Everyone knows too much partying or a poor night’s sleep can leave one groggy or irritable. We try our best to muddle through the day, and then to get to bed early in an attempt to catch up on lost sleep. But what if you never knew what a good night’s sleep was like?

Does your child have any of these symptoms: ADD/ADHD, bed-wetting, mouth breathing and poor performance in school? These and more are symptoms of an often overlooked or misdiagnosed problem called Sleep Disordered Breathing, or SDB. Studies show 9 out of 10 children have this condition.

Sleep Disordered Breathing happens when there is a restriction of the air to and from the lungs through the nose and pharynx. More commonly called Hypopnea (low breathing) or apnea (stoppage of breathing), it interrupts a child’s sleep cycle, preventing a full night’s rest. According to Earl O. Bergersen, DDS, MSD (former assistant professor Northwestern University Orthodontic Dept), nighttime mouth breathing occurs frequently in children, “Any child that snores fairly frequently and sleeps with their mouth open often suffers from lack of sleep and as a result also frequently has oxygen desaturation of the blood.”

Some people are born with narrowed airways. Some develop over time from poor diet or habits such as thumb sucking or mouth breathing. Dentists use to remove some crowded teeth when doing orthodontics. The smile turned out straightened, but jaw never developed to its genetic potential. The result is a narrow jaw and restricted airflow.

Your pediatrician might not notice this, as it is a dentally related problem. Most dentists were taught to wait until a child is old enough to have braces to straighten their teeth, but that doesn’t solve SDB. Twenty years of research have led to the amazing Healthy Start System. Early treatment is the key. As the jaw is encouraged to develop properly, the teeth move into alignment often without the need for future braces or orthodontics.

“The Healthy Start System has been specifically designed to promote the proper growth and development of the jaw and airway to optimize airflow and promote proper nasal breathing while straightening your child’s teeth. As these areas develop many of the symptoms of Sleep Disordered Breathing disappear. When kids can breathe properly, they can begin to learn, grow, and blossom into their true genetic potential.”
~The Healthy Start

We are so proud to be one of the few certified providers in the Midwest offering this program. You can learn more and take a free online assessment for your child at TheHealthyStart.com

Sherry Regiani, SHRM-CP, CHPSE, IAPP, is the Director of Regiani Holistic Dental Center, located at 10435 Ortonville Rd., Clarkston, MI. For more information, call 248-625-5222 or visit their website: RegianiDental.com.