Why might my child need airway dentistry?
If your child is struggling with a compromised airway, they may not be getting enough oxygen. When your child's breathing is restricted, the body begins to think it is choking, which can cause serious symptoms. Lower oxygen levels, higher heart rate, and higher blood pressure are just a few of the many detrimental issues that could negatively impact your child's overall health.
Sleep disordered breathing and night-time bruxism (tooth grinding) are sometimes a result incorrect tongue posture, compromised airways and narrow palates. Research has shown that lower oxygen levels result in poor quality of sleep and correlated with ADHD and day-time fatigue in children.
Our team will work with your child to improve their oral muscle function with lifestyle changes and corrective breathing habits. We may even provide dental appliances to help your child open the airway, allowing it to develop to its full potential. It's our goal to address the root of the issue so they can breathe with ease and go back to just being a kid.
The Benefits of Airway Dentistry
Promotes Healthy Development
Airway treatment can improve your child's posture, energy levels, breathing habits, and so much more.
Prevents Further Issues
Moderate or even severe airway issues at a young age can be improved with minimal treatment. This has the potential to prevent years of oral and systemic health issues as they grow up.
Helps Your Child Sleep & Breathe with Ease
When your child's airway is clean and properly aligned, their ability to breathe with ease and sleep through the night can significantly improve.
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The Airway Dentistry Treatment Process
Consultation
First, the dentist will have a conversation with you about your child's overall sleeping habits, breathing patterns, and other symptoms. They'll also take a look at your child’s medical history and examine their breathing, along with their teeth, gums, mouth, and throat.
Treatment Plan
Depending on your child's unique condition, your dentist will recommend a personalized airway treatment plan and possible evaluation with an ENT and Sleep medicine physician. Additional treatments include lifestyle changes, pediatric chiropractor, myofunctional therapy, tongue and lip tie removals, oral appliances, or even a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine during sleep. Regardless of their recommendation, the dentist will walk you and your child through every step of the plan to make sure you fully understand the process and how it will positively impact your child's overall health.
Follow Ups & Referrals
The dentist will continue to encourage frequent follow up appointments to ensure your child's personalized treatment plan is improving their airway health. To guarantee that your child receives the best possible care, referrals may be made to other providers.
What makes us different
Sleep Health Consultations & Grinding Evaluations
Sleep is vital to your child’s development. We provide thorough evaluations for snoring, teeth grinding, and sleep-disordered breathing—helping you identify issues early and get your child the restful, restorative sleep they need.
Collaboration with Myofunctional & Speech Therapists
We work closely with trusted ENT, sleep medicine physicians, orthodontists, myofunctional and speech therapists to create coordinated treatment plans. This team approach ensures your child receives consistent support for breathing, speech, feeding, and overall oral function. We also refer to trusted orthodontists for complex treatment plans including phase 1 and 2.
Microbiome & Gut Health
Your child’s oral and gut health are deeply connected. We educate families on the impact of diet, oral bacteria, and inflammation on airway development, offering guidance that supports a healthier microbiome and better sleep.
Functional Approach
We take a whole-child, functional approach to airway health—looking beyond symptoms to understand the root causes of mouth breathing, snoring, and sleep disruption. Our care supports optimal growth, posture, and overall wellness.
Lip & Tongue Ties
We screen for and treat restrictive oral ties that can impact breathing, feeding, and facial development. Using advanced LightScalpel CO₂ laser technology, we perform gentle releases that support healthier sleep and airway growth—especially in infants and toddlers.
Sensory Integrative Therapy
Airway health and sensory processing go hand-in-hand. We integrate sensory-informed strategies into each visit, helping children regulate their nervous system so they can better tolerate care and build healthier habits.
Tooth Pillow Oral Appliance
We incorporate the Tooth Pillow—a chewable oral appliance designed to improve facial tone, jaw development, and nasal breathing. It’s a playful yet powerful tool that supports airway growth and oral function in a natural way.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out these frequently asked questions, or call us to speak with our team.
If these abnormal conditions are left untreated in children, by the time they are fully grown, there is little that can be done to correct their breathing. Eventually, many of these children will grow into adults with SDB, who may eventually require CPAP machines to obtain the oxygen they need at night – all because their airways were never allowed to fully develop.
When your child's airway is impacted, the body begins to react in a variety of ways. Some common obstructive airway symptoms include:- ADD/ADHD, difficulty in school, and/or aggressive behavior- Bedwetting- Snoring- Difficulty sleeping - Daytime drowsiness- Mouth breathing- Chronic allergies- Enlarged tonsils and adenoids - Tooth decay- Crowded or crooked teeth- Overbite- Teeth grindingRest assured that our team is fully equipped to address any of your child's unique symptoms with personalized care. If we believe that your child could benefit from an additional provider's expertise, we will make the appropriate referral to ensure your child gets the treatment they deserve.
Schedule a visit today
Whether you're preparing for baby’s first checkup or looking for ongoing care in a safe and inclusive environment, we're here to welcome you. Let’s create beautiful, confident smiles together—one sensory-friendly step at a time.