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Oral Appliance Therapy for Kids

February 28, 2023 8:00 am

Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is an effective way to treat obstructive sleep apnea. It’s non-invasive and can easily fit with most patients’ lifestyle, including children! At RespAir Sleep, we offer oral appliance therapy and hybrid therapy (OAT combined with CPAP) to treat sleep apnea and disordered breathing for adults. We also offer a special treatment for children called HealthyStart^®. HealthyStart utilizes a series of custom oral appliances to open a child’s airway during sleep while gently guiding the growth of their jaw and their emerging teeth into correct alignment.

Benefits of Oral Appliance Therapy for Kids

Our oral appliances are comfortable, low-maintenance, and only worn during sleep. They widen a child’s airway by bringing the upper and lower jaws forward. Sufficient oxygen can then pass through the open airway to the lungs, and ultimately the brain and other organs. Oxygenation is vital for your child’s brain function, protective immunity, mood regulation, hormonal balance, and overall equilibrium. Thus, this custom oral appliance can help address a variety of health and functional issues associated with your child’s Sleep Disordered Breathing, such as an undeveloped jaw and airway, distractibility, difficulty focusing, irritability, impulsivity, fatigue, slow growth rate, snoring, and more.

Some children are born with poor muscle tone or a high volume of soft tissue in the throat, which can contribute to snoring and mouth breathing as compensation for the increased restriction in the airway. High-risk anatomy of the airway, upper, and/or lower jaw can also create misalignment problems. Depending on the stage of your child’s development and their needs, their HealthyStart treatment plan will be designed to improve their symptoms by preventing and/or correcting their airway restriction and misalignment.

Pediatric Oral Appliance Therapy in Raleigh

At RespAir Sleep, our purpose is to help patients breathe better so they can sleep well. If you are interested in learning more about HealthyStart for your child or if you would like to schedule a free consultation regarding your own sleep issues, please contact us today!

Categorised in: Oral Appliance Therapy