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Is My Child Normal or Naughty?

The Truth About Early Intervention For Airway Concerns in Children

As an airway advocate for the Foundation of Airway Health and a member of the AAPMD (American Academy of Physiological Medicine and Dentistry), I am fortunate enough to get to participate in extraordinary webinars and training events. Nowhere do I experience the passion for children and airway centric disorders, as I do in that organization.

I’ve recently had a significant increase in evaluations and assessments of children, ages 5-12. Some of this is in part to the countless hours that I spend speaking, teaching and advocating about airway concerns but also because the medical and dental community are working hard to collaborate and educate on the topic of airway centric disorders. A collaborative relationship is a beautiful thing!

In this blog, I want to address the importance of early intervention when it comes to airway concerns in children. I’ve been so shocked recently when parents start telling me all the signs and symptoms that their child has, but they had no idea that they should be concerned.

Behavior

Parents who do not know of these concerns might simply just think their child is “normal”. Normal compared to what? A normal, 5-year-old boy? A normal, energetic, 8-year-old boy? A normal 7-year-old girl with a couple more challenges than her sisters had?

I’ve recently had clients who have spent more time suspended from school than attending school. I’ve had kiddos who have spent over half of their education hours in a school year, outside of the classroom. These kids are adolescents in primary and middle school. What are these kiddos going to be like when they reach high school? Will there be a place in school (or society) for them? Will they finish school, or become a dropout statistic?

You should see the relief that comes across a parent’s face when they learn that there may be a reason their child has such challenges. An overwhelming majority of children diagnosed and medicated for ADHD have sleep apnea. If your child has behavior problems and is being treated for ADHD, I would encourage you to schedule an appointment with a doctor today to get a referral for a sleep study.

Genetics

There was once a time (or maybe there still is) when a dentist would tell parents to “save money for braces because Billy will need them”. Gasp. But, nobody did anything about it, right? If a child does not have room for teeth to erupt, then airway and breathing issues are just about guaranteed.

As a dental hygienist, for years and years, I would talk with parents about crowded primary teeth. Humans are supposed to have something called leeway and primate spacing. These terms are fancy words for spacers. These spaces between the teeth hold extra room for the much larger secondary tooth to erupt. So, if the baby teeth are jammed in, there is almost no hope for the adult teeth to erupt correctly. Then, take that up a level and think about the growth of the “foundation that the teeth live in”. The jaw bone. Then, take it up another level. If the jaw bone isn’t big enough to accommodate the teeth, then what about the airway? It will likely be compromised as well.

Have your kiddo come stand in front of you and tip the head back and open wide. What do you see? Are there nice gaps between the teeth? If there are not, I would encourage you to make an appointment with an airway orthodontist ASAP, regardless of age and regardless of what your dentist tells you. I recently talked about airway orthodontics in my blog titled: Airway Orthodontics: Become an Advocate For Your Child. You can read it on my blog here .

Sleep

If your child doesn’t sleep well, this should alert you to an airway concern. This includes your child sleeping in odd positions, being a restless sleeper, wetting the bed, having nightmares, grinding, snoring or gasping at any time.

Timeframe

Early intervention is important, but what exactly is “early”? According to a very well known dentist in the airway world, Dr. Kevin Boyd, the American Association of Orthodontists wants to see a child for the first orthodontic evaluation by the age of 7. Dr. Boyd explains that isn’t an appointment is for risk assessment or intervention, but just an evaluation. Dr. Boyd encourages that a child has an orthodontic evaluation when he or she is under age 6 or has less than 6 erupted permanent teeth.

Getting Started

It’s not just about the teeth, or the tongue-tie or the airway. It’s about oral health. It’s about overall health. It’s about wellness and thriving. Parents and care providers should be watching for misguided craniofacial growth. The back of the face is the airway and the front of the airway is the face. If a child doesn’t have room and it’s obvious, then it won’t be a surprise that there won’t be room for the tongue. There won’t be correct tongue posture and breathing.

Myofunctional therapy needs to be a frontline intervention. When I meet a new client, I immediately start recognizing physical and behavioral risks. A myofunctional therapist should be the hub of the wellness wheel, as a resource to guide parents. I like to refer parents to the Foundation for Airway Health to take the sleep inventory assessment. Parents can also google the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire and look it over.

The take-home message here is this…if you think your sweet little “Jackson” is just a normal, energetic little boy with a “few challenges”….I want you to get real with what those challenges are. If it is behavior, snoring, mouth breathing, tooth grinding, bedwetting, poor sleep, or low energy please have a conversation with someone who “gets it” and knows that it is a problem.

So many moms are told that their child is fine, and momma bear knows there is a problem, but doesn’t know where to turn and doesn’t want to make waves or challenge the respected doctor.

Moms…I’m talking to you. For the sake of your kid. Rock that damn boat. Make the biggest waves you can. Question the doctor and 10 others if you don’t feel like you’re getting the answers you need. Do it for your child. He or she doesn’t have a dog in this fight. But YOU do.

I’m here when you need me!

–Carmen 🙂

About Carmen

Carmen found her path of passion years ago as a dental hygienist. After a stint in graduate school to earn her M.B.A., she left clinical hygiene practice to start her business, Integrative Myofunctional Therapy. In addition to seeing clients in her private online practice, she also teaches the craft of myofunctional therapy in her Myo Mastery Program, coaches dental offices on how to implement myofunctional screening into the daily practice, and speaks frequently in various settings.

Carmen is a provider for the Foundation of Airway Health, where she works diligently for the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of airway related disorders.

In addition, she is a proud member of several professional associations that afford her the opportunity to learn so that she can help her clients. Her professional memberships include: