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HealthyStart™
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Healthy Start™: A solution for addressing sleep disordered breathing.
Children may experience problems with proper jaw and dental arch development due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to breastfeeding, weak tongue and oral muscles, crooked or crowded teeth, a soft diet and processed foods, and poor oral habits such as thumb sucking and using pacifiers or tongue thrusting. These issues can lead to a compromised airway and inadequate oxygen flow to the brain during sleep, preventing the child from entering the deep, restful REM stage of sleep necessary for growth and development. Sleep disordered breathing can manifest in symptoms such as mouth breathing or snoring, restless sleep and daytime drowsiness, hyperactivity and aggressive behavior, bedwetting and nightmares, chronic allergies and swollen adenoids or tonsils, and difficulty in school. The HealthyStart TM System is designed to promote proper jaw and airway growth and optimize airflow through the nose to encourage proper nasal breathing, while also straightening the child’s teeth. As these areas develop, many of the symptoms of sleep disordered breathing may improve, allowing the child to reach their full potential.
Take The HealthyStart™ Quiz
You can complete an online assessment for your children before visiting our office. To do so, please follow the instructions for the assessment below and fill out a children’s form. Alternatively, you can contact us to schedule an appointment.
Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB)
When the tongue is not properly positioned during sleep, the jaw can drop back and pull the tongue with it, leading to a narrowed airway. This can reduce the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain during sleep, which can cause symptoms such as snoring, swollen tonsils or adenoids, tooth decay, bedwetting, restless sleep, delayed or stunted growth, chronic allergies, eczema, asthma, depression, headaches, and behavior similar to attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Research has now shown that sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is also linked to crooked or crowded teeth, impaired growth and development of the jaw, and behavioral challenges that may resemble ADD/ADHD and even bedwetting. SDB is a serious condition that can have serious consequences for both physical and mental health, and it is important to seek medical evaluation and treatment if you suspect that you or a loved one may be experiencing SDB.
Causes of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB)
The following factors can contribute to sleep disordered breathing:
- Underdeveloped dental arches and jaws due to limited or no breastfeeding.
- Weak tongue and oral muscles due to a soft diet or processed foods.
- Poor oral habits such as thumb sucking, pacifiers, and tongue thrusting.
All of these can cause the tongue to be in an unfavorable position during sleep, leading to mouth breathing and a compromised airway. The lower jaw can also drop back and further obstruct the airway.
Blocked airways can cause snoring, which can range from mild to loud. In some cases, the airway may become severely blocked and the child may wake up gasping for air multiple times during the night.
Other factors such as enlarged adenoids and tonsils, fat accumulation in the neck of overweight children, and neuromuscular issues like cerebral palsy can also cause airway constriction and contribute to sleep disordered breathing.
Research has now shown that sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is also linked to crooked or crowded teeth, impaired growth and development of the jaw, and behavioral challenges that may resemble ADD/ADHD and even bedwetting. SDB is a serious condition that can have serious consequences for both physical and mental health, and it is important to seek medical evaluation and treatment if you suspect that you or a loved one may be experiencing SDB.
Symptoms of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB)
Take the HealthyStart assessment here: HealthyStart™ Quiz
Swollen tonsils or adenoids
Mouth breathing, snoring, and teeth grinding
Poor performance in school
Bed wetting
ADD/ADHD
Nightmare and restless sleep
Chronic allergies, eczema, and asthma
Anger, depression, irritability, and headaches
How the HealthyStart™ System Can Help
The HealthyStart™ System is designed to promote proper jaw and airway growth, optimize airflow through the nose for proper nasal breathing, and straighten the child’s teeth. As these areas develop, many of the symptoms of sleep disordered breathing may improve. When children are able to breathe properly, they can achieve their full potential in terms of learning, growing, and developing.
The HealthyStart™ System consists of removable appliances that resemble night guards and are worn by the child during sleep. These appliances help to ensure proper growth and alignment of the lower jaw, expand the dental arches to provide space for incoming permanent teeth to emerge in a straight position, and encourage healthy oral habits.
The HealthyStart™ System works with the natural process of tooth eruption. The soft, comfortable, and removable devices gently guide emerging teeth into their proper positions and help to shape the growth of the orofacial system and teeth eruption into healthy positions.
How does HealthyStart™ function?
The HealthyStart™ system is a series of appliances that are used to improve your child’s dental health, depending on their age. The first appliance is called the habit-corrector, which helps to eliminate or improve harmful oral habits. It is worn at night while your child sleeps and is similar in design to a pacifier. This phase usually lasts for 1-5 months.
The second phase involves a customized appliance that is sized for your child to wear every night. It helps guide incoming teeth into their proper positions, corrects jaw relations, and expands the arches in your child’s mouth to make room for adult teeth. This phase typically lasts for 2-6 months.
The final phase begins when your child has at least four permanent teeth and involves a device that helps guide adult teeth into proper alignment as they emerge. This phase is important because it helps ensure that adult teeth come in correctly and that the gum tissue fibers attach them properly in the mouth. The HealthyStart™ appliance is made in the USA, is BPA and silicone/latex-free, and has been cleared by the FDA. The treatment is safe, pain-free, non-invasive, and effective.
Book An Appointment
You can complete an online assessment for your children before visiting our office. To do so, please follow the instructions for the assessment below. Alternatively, you can contact us to schedule an appointment. Call 757-466-1700
