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Learning the Symptoms of Sleep Disordered Breathing in Children


SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING in children is a serious health condition. It could result in morbid health consequences later in the child's life if left untreated. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are very important. The diagnosis of SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING can only be made by a qualified pediatrician or child sleep specialist.
Effective treatment of sleep-disordered breathing in children involves prevention and correction of abnormal postures and functions of the mouth, tongue, and face, and their relationships with breathing, the dentition, speech, and feeding. This requires the combined efforts of multiple health specialists.

  • DENTIST

  • ORTHODONTIST

  • PEDIATRICIAN

  • SLEEP SPECIALIST

  • EAR/NOSE/THROAT DOC

  • MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPIST

  • SPEECH THERAPIST

  • ALLERGIST

  • NEUROLOGIST

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THE PICTURE ABOVE IS THE IDEAL. THE CHILD IS SLEEPING WITH HER MOUTH CLOSED AND IS BREATHING THROUGH HER NOSE. HER FACE, NOSE AND MOUTH ARE DEVELOPING NORMALLY.

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PARENTS, LOOK AND LISTEN! The child above is sleeping with her mouth open. Note the already protruding upper anterior teeth and the chapped lips. She is mouth breathing. The inspired air is not being properly warmed, humidified and filtered. She is developing an open bite, improper anterior tongue thrust swallow, and a narrow upper arch. If your child snores or breathes their mouth, an unhealthy problem could be developing.