HealthyStart® for
Children’s Airway Health
Dr. Page uses HealthyStart® for kids to guide dental arch development, reducing symptoms of sleep disordered breathing and reducing the need for braces. You can ensure your children are on the path to health.
Dr. Page screens all of her pediatric patients for signs of sleep disordered breathing and craniofacial abnormalities. She knows firsthand how lack of sleep affects all people, especially growing kids.
When your child’s dentist is also an airway doctor, a regular dental checkup determines more than just the health of their teeth and gums.
At every age, overall wellness and feeling your best depends on having an open airway.
Patient
Case Study
At five years old, Evan’s* mother brought him to see Dr. Page for a regular dental checkup. Noticing Evan had already crowded teeth and was breathing through his mouth while sitting still, Dr. Page asked his mother a few questions. She uncovered that Evan was still wetting the bed, that he slept with his mouth open, and that he snored.
Bedwetting, an open mouth, and crowded teeth aren’t what most people would consider medical problems. But they are all symptoms of a restricted airway caused by underdeveloped jawbones and poor tongue placement.
Dr. Page put together a treatment plan for Evan and started him on HealthyStart® to guide the growth of his upper jaw and lower jawbone. In less than six months, Evan’s mom was happy to report his bedwetting was significantly reduced. Dr. Page has noted better spacing of his teeth and says that now he’s on track to not needing braces.
*patient’s name changed for privacy
“Since seeing Dr. Page Evan’s baby teeth went from being tight to having perfect spaces. He’s also been wetting the bed less! She also helped identify his enlarged tonsils and helped put us
on the path to see an ENT”
EVAN’s* mother
The goal of HealthyStart® is to get a proper airway, proper growth of the upper and lower jaws, and proper tongue positioning helping the teeth come in where they should. Parents notice better sleep quality in their children, so daytime behavior improves, and previously baffling symptoms disappear.
Sleep Disordered Breathing and Airway Health In Children
• Snoring
• Sleeping with mouth open
• Mouth breathing while awake but at rest (not eating or talking)
• Restless sleep, thrashing in sleep
• Daytime sleepiness
• Bedwetting
• Headaches
• Chronic runny nose
• Chronic ear infections
• Large tonsils
• Poor growth
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Lack of focus or attention in school
• Behavior problems
• Symptoms that mimic attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Poor academic performance
Sleep-disordered breathing often presents itself during waking hours as frustrating symptoms that you as a parent struggle with, making you wonder what you’re doing wrong.
If these symptoms stem from sleep-disordered breathing, Dr. Page can help.
Schedule a physical examination before you resort to medication or behavior modification techniques to manage your child’s symptoms.
If your child is chronically suffering from any of the following symptoms, it’s possible the root cause is sleep-disordered breathing.
Signs of sleep-disordered breathing in children:
Even mild breathing disorders affect a child’s sleep, mood, and performance in school.
Dr. Page helps children breathe well so they can be their best.
02 / A plan for appropriate treatment to eliminate daytime symptoms and risk factors that lead to future health problems.
01 / The peace of mind that your child’s breathing is normal and healthy.
Childhood sleep-disordered breathing can follow into adulthood, leading to sleep apnea and the myriad of health problems associated with poor sleep and obstructed breathing.
When your child sees Dr. Page for a regular checkup and cleaning, they’ll also have an airway evaluation, so you’ll walk away with either:
Patient
Case Study
9-year-old Amy* is another patient whose mother brought her in for a dental exam. Amy’s mom told Dr. Page that Amy had been suffering from chronic headaches. After several months into her HealthyStart treatment, not only is Amy’s bite developing correctly but her headaches are now gone, too.
The HealthyStart® system is a series of oral devices worn to properly guide tooth eruption and jaw growth. The soft devices are easy to take in and out and comfortable for a child to wear while awake or asleep.
The goal is to guide small jaw growth so your child’s airway forms properly. HealthyStart® is one of the most effective treatments for preventing sleep disordered breathing in your children as they grow up.
When the jawbones grow correctly, the teeth erupt into the correct positions, the tongue sits in the correct posture and the airway grows properly.
By guiding these healthy growth patterns, we reduce the need for more treatment later to orthodontically correct the jawbones, teeth, and airway. That’s why as a healthcare professional and a mother, Dr. Page believes all young children should be screened for airway health, making sure there’s no chance of untreated sleep disordered breathing.
The best part of HealthyStart® is helping kids feel and perform their best while they’re young and then preventing them from growing into adults who could have gotten help but didn’t.
You can help your child be their very best. It starts simply with breathing.
*Patient’s name changed for privacy
