Overland Park, KS dentist explains how the dental Healthy Start program can help your child
Does your child wake often at night? Are headaches a common complaint? Have their grades started to slide? If so, your child is not alone. These are just a few of the symptoms that 9 out of every 10 children suffer from as the result of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB). Fortunately, we at Dentistry by Shane Nelson, DDS offer the Dental Healthy Start Program in Overland Park, KS at our office. Based on more than five decades of research, this unique oral appliance therapy has supported proper jaw and airway development among more than 4 million children worldwide. By addressing the root cause of SDB, HealthyStart® proactively reduces or eliminates symptoms that can have far-reaching effects on your child’s academic performance, appearance, overall health, self-confidence, and quality of life well into adulthood.
Sleep Disordered Breathing, a silent crisis
A number of oral conditions can affect your child’s ability to move air properly through his or her airway, where the oxygen goes on to nourish the rest of the body and organs. These conditions include crowded teeth, bite problems such as cross-bite or overbite, and an underdeveloped jaw. Consider this: An average 7-year-old’s airway is seven millimeters in diameter, an ideal size to promote 100% airflow. An airway is compromised when airflow is reduced by 50% (to a diameter of 3.75 millimeters). Even if your child mouth-breathes slightly, opening his or her mouth by just half an inch, that can reduce the airway by six millimeters! That severely-compromised airway is now just one millimeter around and only permits 14.25% airflow.
It is a small wonder, then, that children with SDB suffer from an array of sleep conditions and other problems that arise due to a lack of regenerative, quality sleep, including:
- ADD/ADHD-like symptoms, such as fidgeting, inattention, aggression, irritability
- Habitual snoring
- Daytime fatigue, despite early bedtimes
- Dark under-eye circles
- Poor school performance, particularly in areas such as math and spelling
- Chronic headaches
- Persistent allergies
- Swollen tonsils
- Bedwetting
- Stunted growth
- Restless, interrupted sleep
Dr. Nelson corrects the source of SDB-induced oxygen deprivation, which is a significant contributing factor for the range of symptoms and conditions noted above.
Before and After Images
Get your child off to a HealthyStart®
The HealthyStart® System is a series of soft and comfortable removable oral devices that gently encourage proper growth and alignment (without braces). Additionally, these appliances expand the arches. So, there is sufficient space for erupting permanent teeth. The system further optimizes airflow and promotes healthy nasal breathing. Additional conditions that have been corrected with HealthyStart® include:
- An irregular facial profile, due to an underdeveloped jaw
- Poor tongue placement and tongue thrusting
- Swallowing problems
- Thumb-sucking, finger-sucking, and other oral habits
- A gummy smile and bite-related problems
Parents and caregivers love that HealthyStart® appliances are FDA-cleared, non-pharmacological, non-invasive, well-tolerated, and free of BPA, latex, and silicone. Early treatment also supports lasting results. The likelihood of relapse is low.
Your child deserves to reach his or her true potential! Call (913) 297-7800 to schedule your child’s evaluation with Dr. Nelson at his Overland Park, KS office.
