If you ever notice your kiddo waking up exhausted, even after a full night of sleep, they may be an excellent candidate for Healthy Start. Healthy Start is a fantastic treatment option for children to prevent adult sleep apnea developing later in life. Common symptoms of sleep disordered breathing often go overlooked. If your child snores, grinds, wets the bed, has focus or attention issues, or has crooked teeth, they are at high risk for developing sleep apnea as an adult. The great news is there is an active and non-invasive treatment we can do that can help prevent this.
This fantastic option can significantly reduce the likelihood that your kids will need more costly, stressful, or invasive sleep apnea care. call Dee for Dentist to schedule a free consultation, and we can get started on improving your child’s sleep.
What Is Healthy Start and How Can It Improve Your Child’s Sleep?
Healthy Start is a noninvasive system designed to guide the development of the jaw bones allowing for the proper spacing for incoming teeth and the development of the proper size airway. These custom oral appliances are a series of soft oral appliances, similar to a sports nightguard, that a child wears to sleep.
While these appliances are typically worn at night, some kids may benefit from wearing them for short periods during the day. This practice can help them get used to the tool and train their muscles, making breathing easier in the long run.
What are the Signs Your Child Might Have Disordered Sleeping?
If you are worried your child might suffer from disordered sleeping, we recommend keeping an ear out for a few signs:
- Heavy breathing while asleep
- Restless sleep
- Bedwetting
- Snoring, including those with pauses, snorting, or gasping
- Daytime sleepiness or behaviors impacted by lack of rest, like irritability, tantrums, or other behavioral issues
- Headaches in the morning
- Symptoms of ADD or ADHD
- Teeth crowding
- Eye bags
- Problems with bite
Additional symptoms may indicate a child is not sleeping as well as they could be, so we encourage you to talk with a qualified practitioner. Healthy Start works well for children aged two through 12 to prevent the onset of adult sleep apnea.
We can help conduct tests, provide a formal diagnosis, and discuss various prevention and treatment options, including Healthy Start. When you work with a provider at Dee for Dentist, we can provide you with extensive guidance and support.
How Does Healthy Start Work to Prevent the Onset of Sleep Apnea?
Healthy Start is made to mitigate the need for sleep apnea interventions such as a CPAP in adulthood. By correcting bite, palate, and jaw development, there’s less need for future orthodontics, loud sleep apnea appliances, or medications. Like training wheels on a bike, Healthy Start trains your kiddo’s muscles to develop correctly.
The Difference Before and After Healthy Start
Healthy Start is an excellent way to prevent adult sleep apnea. Most adults develop sleep apnea because their airways are too narrow, and they can only manage the symptoms of this disorder after it develops.
Imagine that a normal, healthy airway is meant to be the size of a boba straw. Those who face sleep apnea may have an airway, comparatively, the size of a coffee stirrer.
However, with an excellent preventative therapy like Healthy Start, the risk for sleep apnea significantly diminishes. While adults cannot reverse sleep apnea and improve the size of their airways, not all hope is lost for our children. This option allows your child’s airways to develop properly, so they are less likely to require sleep apnea management tools—like a CPAP machine—later in life. Essentially, we’re helping to ensure that children have a healthy, boba straw-sized airway.
Symptoms That Healthy Start Can Reduce
The Healthy Start System reduces mouth breathing, snoring, and speech difficulties. If you have questions about the system and whether your child is eligible, please contact Dee for Dentist. We’re more than happy to explain the process and provide additional options for improving your child’s sleep.
Improve Your Sleep Quality: Contact Dee for Dentist for Guidance and Peaceful Nights
Ready to banish the boogeyman of bad sleep from your kiddo’s closet? It’s time to give Dee for Dentist a call and talk about the Healthy Start System. Think of us as the sleep fairy godparents, ready to sprinkle magical, mask-free mojo into your child’s sleep routine. Dr. Dee is a specialist in the Healthy Start System.
Don’t let restless nights interrupt your child’s health. Call (702) 586-7800 or complete our contact form to get started with our dedicated providers. Only a handful of dentists offer Healthy Start in our area, so our team is an excellent option to improve your child’s long-term health and development. Book a consultation, and let’s chat about how Healthy Start can be the incredible option your little one needs.
