A normal healthy child should not snore, grind their teeth or have labored breathing. Children that snore show a sign that their airway is insufficient which could lead to numerous developmental and growth problems. If your child snores, ask the right questions to get your child help so they can thrive and grow up healthy and strong!
Q. How is the snoring affecting my child’s ability to grow and thrive?
A. A child snoring is a sign that they are not getting enough oxygen while they sleep. If they are not getting enough oxygen, their body is not properly resting, recovering and growing because the brain is focused on trying to get the body back up to normal oxygen levels. This can lead to night terrors, bed wetting, ADHD, trouble focusing at school, daytime drowsiness, irratiblity and so much more
Q. What needs to be done so my child doesn’t snore?
A. Depending on your child’s development and craniofacial structure, the treatment can be as simple as teaching the child to breathe through their nose, or wearing different appliances that can help grow the jaws and airway, or surgical intervention. If your child is a mouth breather, try to encourage the child to close their mouth and breathe through their nose with their tongue suctioned up to the roof of their mouth. Nighttime/sleep appliances have shown to be extremely helpful in changing their airway to help eliminate snoring and promote proper growth. Surgical intervention is always a last resort or if its discovered that there is an anatomical problem that cannot be corrected without surgery.