Child Sleep Treatments
Our Pediatric Treatment Approach
Before discussing sleep treatments for a child having issues sleeping, it is necessary to know what is happening first. Research shows that sleep issues in children often indicate a developmental issue that is further discussed in this video:
Diagnosing the issue
In order to diagnose what is causing their sleep issue, we first start with discussing what the parent has observed over time. The doctor will likely recommend completing a physical exam of your child’s head and airways. After the exam, a home sleep test may be facilitated in order to measure their sleep quality, breathing patterns and oxygen levels. The sleep test in conjunction with the physical exam will allow our team of doctors to create a comprehensive report on what is likely causing their inability to have restful sleep. After the comprehensive review and diagnosis is made, the doctor will discuss any necessary or recommended treatments with you.
“Guides” Children Treatment for Sleep Disordered Breathing
This is an oral appliance treatment that, as the name implies, guides your child’s growth and development through educing the nasal breathing and correct tongue posture while your child sleeps. These appliances are made to “guide” or work with the child’s natural growth cycles, promoting their growth in the proper direction and guiding the teeth as they erupt. This leads to better development of their jaws, airway, and facial symmetry.
This primary treatment for Kids:
- Establishes nasal breathing, eliminates mouth breathing
- Establishes proper tongue strength, posture, swallowing and speech
- Guides ideal growth and development of the middle and lower third of the head, including the airway
- Eliminates bad habits (thumb sucking, tongue thrust, e.t.c.)
Additional Beneficial Treatments that May be Recommended
Myofunctional therapy – a program used to correct the improper function of the tongue and facial muscles by strengthening the them through specific exercises
Lingual frenectomy – sometimes people are born with a lingual frenum (connects your tongue to your mouth) that’s very short, restricting their tongue’s movement. This condition is called ankyloglossia, or “tongue tie.” Tongue tie can interfere with breastfeeding during the infant years and speech development as a child grows older. A quick procedure called a lingual frenectomy gives the tongue greater range of motion and alleviates airway obstruction that was caused by a restricted tongue.