How Snoring is Affecting our Children

You check on your 5-year-old before heading to bed and can hear her snoring, yet again.  You wonder if it’s just her allergies? You think to yourself, will it ever pass? You remember the conversation you had with your doctor at the last appointment when you were reassured that the enlarged tonsils were fine and told: “she will grow out of them.”  There also seemed to be little concern for the nightly snoring that continues night after night.     

As you close the door behind you, you get that chill that radiates down your spine every time you hear that sound.  The sound of teeth grinding on teeth. Man, you can’t stand that sound, like nails on a chalkboard. The dentist mentioned the wear on her front teeth at the last cleaning but didn’t seem too concerned.  They too were hopeful that she will simply “grow out of it.”  

….Fast forward 10 years without any interventions and you may not recognize that cute little girl that you once knew years ago.  You may see crowded teeth when she smiles, and teeth that don’t completely close in the front, a place where the tongue often wants to rest.  She may have had some difficulty with speech when she was younger and even possibly still does. You may notice your daughter has developed a daily habit of breathing through her mouth.  It’s not because she chose to do so. She started this years ago out of necessity for a need of oxygen to survive. The ENT told you that the tonsils were fine and there was not a need to remove them because there wasn’t enough of a history of either ear infections or strep throat to complete the procedure.  However, your daughter’s developing body and airway never agreed. The large tissue masses that took up more than 50% of her airway, restricted her nasal breathing, and ultimately changed the craniofacial development of her growing face and jaws.

Did you know, our jaws grow while we are sleeping and when we do not have a lip seal and proper oral resting posture, our mandible hangs open, down, and forward.  The tongue then hangs low in the mouth and does not hold the space for the growing maxilla. This allows the palate to develop into a vaulted, high narrow palate, where there is not enough room to house the tongue, a place where it belongs.  The tongue can also fall back into the airway, blocking and restricting airflow. If breathing this way continues long enough in a growing face, ultimately the individual will develop a narrow, elongated face. By the age of 12, the majority of facial growth and development is completed.  

by Dezarae Aldridge-Earl, RDH