Sleep disordered breathing and sleep apnea have become popular buzzwords in today's world of health care.  When a child cannot sleep well at night he is often irritable or overly sensitive to seemingly harmless stimuli during the day.  Alternatively, he may seem unfocused, hyperactive or both.  At Growing Faces, we make this issue paramount in our exam because sleep quality and breathing ability is a major contributing factor in the growth of a well proportioned face with a pleasing profile and straight teeth. 

The diagnosis of ADHD and ADD have become extremely commonplace in our classrooms and society.  Clearly, sensory and learning issues and behavioral diagnoses may have multiple causes and therapeutic approaches BUT:  wouldn't it be better to first make sure that your child's sleep is of the proper quality and quantity?  Children who do not sleep well generally cannot breathe well.  It is our role to guide and refer to the proper medical specialists and therapies. 

Sometimes children need evaluation of their adenoids and tonsils by an ENT and sometimes the ENT will order a sleep test.  Sometimes the child will require myofunctional therapy or breathing therapy or both therapies.   He or she may need the additional support of a dental appliance in order to encourage the proper downward and forward growth of her face in order to encourage proper growth of the airway.

Some signs and symptoms that you can look for are:  dry lips, open mouth posture during the day and night, purple coloration under the lower eyelid, bed wetting (even if only occasional), tremendous movement during sleep, night terrors, snoring and grinding during sleep and difficulty becoming potty trained or frequent "accidents".