It is a closer look at how your child breathes, sleeps and grows during a routine dental visit. With airway-focused pediatric dentistry, our Manhattan and Queens pediatric dentists watch for patterns that may deserve a doctor’s input.
Here’s what that check involves and what it cannot do.
What We Check at Each Visit
Teeth, jaws, tongue and airway develop together. During every routine exam, our dentists look at jaw and facial growth, bite development, arch width and spacing, and tongue posture.
They also note habits such as thumb sucking or long pacifier use. Whether your child mostly breathes through the nose or the mouth is part of the picture too.
Questions About Sleep and Breathing
We may ask whether your child snores regularly, sleeps with an open mouth or wakes often. We also ask about grinding at night and daytime tiredness, irritability or trouble focusing.
One of these signs alone rarely means much. Many children have one or two for reasons that have nothing to do with the airway.
Why Snoring Gets Attention
Obstructive sleep apnea affects about 1 to 5 percent of children, most often between ages 2 and 7, according to the AAPD sleep apnea policy. Habitual snoring is one of its most common signs.
Sleep apnea in children is most often caused by enlarged tonsils or adenoids, according to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. If we see heavy tooth wear from grinding along with snoring or mouth breathing, we may suggest a talk with your pediatrician or an ENT.
What the Research Can and Cannot Say
The links between breathing and dental growth are still being studied. A review of mouth-breathing studies found mouth-breathing children tended to have different jaw angles and narrower airways, but those studies show an association, not proof of cause.
The AAPD also notes that sleep questionnaires are not sensitive enough to confirm sleep apnea. That is one reason a dental screening is a first step, never a diagnosis.
Dentists Screen, Physicians Diagnose
Dentists do not diagnose sleep apnea. When something stands out, we explain what we saw, answer your questions and help you take the next step.
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents of children who snore often to contact their pediatrician. A doctor may then order an overnight sleep study.
Your Child’s Care Team
Depending on what we notice, we may work with your pediatrician, an ENT, a sleep medicine physician, an orthodontist, a myofunctional therapist or a speech-language pathologist. Most children do not need extra testing or referrals.
For many families, airway care simply means steady monitoring over time. Small notes made at each visit help us spot changes while your child is still growing.
