Healthy Start Dentist Los Angeles, CA
It is hard to know what to do when your child struggles with sleep apnea. The HealthyStart™ System is a device that children wear at night to help them breathe by aligning their upper and lower jaw in a manner that maximizes airflow and supports proper facial development. Sleep dentistry is an approach to help children overcome sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea related to oral health and airway development.
Early dental interventions that support healthy sleep habits are available at Vatan Dental Group in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. We guide your family through total health dentistry. Our team offers a range of services, including the HealthyStart System. Call us at (310) 906-1300 to learn more.
Why Healthy Start
HealthyStart is a form of complete health dentistry focused on treating overall health through oral health. Many people are surprised to learn that oral health is linked with other systemic conditions, including sleep apnea. However, an effective sleep dentist must be intimately aware of the oral-systemic link. This is especially true for children, as early intervention is critical in catching many oral and overall health issues before they get the chance to worsen.
Unlike traditional pediatric dentistry, which takes a more aggressive, oppositional approach, the HealthyStart System works with patients' natural tooth eruption patterns. It achieves this via pliable, removable devices that are custom-made for each patient's individual needs and comfort. These devices gently guide the erupting teeth into proper alignment. If necessary, they may also help correct the growth and alignment of the lower jaw by expanding the patient's arches. By making these early corrections, children can avoid certain health problems later on.
“…early intervention is key in catching many oral and overall health issues before they get the chance to worsen.”
Healthy Start Dentists and Sleep
Sleep-disordered breathing is a phenomenon that all too often goes unnoticed. Though often treated as an isolated condition, it is usually a root cause of many other symptoms a child may exhibit. Unfortunately, such symptoms are often misdiagnosed or missed entirely. These conditions result from airway disruption during sleep. When a patient's airway is blocked, their body produces a choking response — leading to a higher heart rate, higher blood pressure, and lower oxygen levels.
Temporomandibular jaw disorders, better known as TMJ, can also affect a child's sleep. These disorders occur when the temporomandibular joint has been damaged or is otherwise malfunctioning. They are also frequently associated with sleep apnea, which is caused by airway disruption. If left untreated, an obstructed airway will only narrow more over time. HealthyStart dentists can help treat these sleeping issues by moving the upper and lower jaws forward. This opens the airway for maximum airflow while also encouraging mid-face growth and airway development.
“HealthyStart dentists can help treat these sleeping issues by moving the upper and lower jaws forward.”
Orthodontics and Orthodontic Appliances
Orthodontics, or braces, are commonly reserved for older children to help straighten their teeth. Orthodontic appliances can also help correct dentoskeletal irregularities that contribute to sleep-related issues in young children. The use of orthodontics in this way falls under the term airway dentistry, which describes an approach to oral health focusing on the mouth structure and how it affects your breathing.
The HealthyStart System is a non-invasive and natural alternative to orthodontic appliances used for airway and sleep dentistry. Applied early on, HealthyStart can help children avoid sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing. HealthyStart makes custom-made orthodontic devices for young children that gently guide the teeth into place as they grow and support optimal airway development. It is almost half the cost of traditional braces and can relieve the need for orthodontics down the road. A HealthyStart dentist will help promote healthy orofacial development and prevent future health problems.
“The HealthyStart System is a non-invasive and natural alternative to orthodontic appliances used for airway dentistry.”
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Childhood Development and Sleep
Sleep is arguably the most essential part of everyday life, especially during the stages of early development. There are two sleep stages: Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) and Rapid Eye Movement (REM). NREM is sometimes called "quiet" sleep. Deep states of NREM sleep increases blood supply to the muscles, restores energy, and releases essential hormones for growth and development. Tissue growth and repair also occur during this state. REM sleep, also known as "active" sleep, is the dreaming stage of sleep. The brain becomes active, and the body becomes immobile, with irregular breathing and heart rates.
A healthy sleeping schedule is imperative to ensure proper physical, mental, and emotional development. It can be difficult or even impossible for children with disordered sleep to get enough sleep. At least one study has found that six-year-old children with a pattern of short sleep duration at age 2.5 had higher levels of specific cognitive deficits and hyperactivity in comparison to their peers. Though research in this field is still emerging, the existing literature makes it evident that there is a relationship between sleep and childhood development.
Questions Answered on This Page
People Also Ask
Q. Are oral conditions genetic or a result of environmental factors?
What Parents Can Do at Home
If a child is struggling to sleep, parents can do a few things at home. Free the child's sleeping environment from any distractions and make it extra comfy. Ideally, children should avoid screen time within two hours of bedtime. Stimulating activities such as watching TV, reading, or playing video games should be off-limits once a child gets tucked in. Sleeping in a dark room with cooler temperatures can also promote sleep. Parents worried about their child's sleep should further discuss their concerns with a total health dentist. Orthodontics or systems like HealthyStart can help a child breathe at night by supporting healthy airway development and maximizing airflow.
“Free your child’s sleeping environment from any distractions and make it extra comfy.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is sleep dentistry?
A. Sleep dentistry is an approach to resolving sleep-related problems through oral health approaches. Sleep dentistry often employs oral appliances or CPAP machines to correct disordered breathing during sleep. A complete health dentist will focus on the mouth structure and how it impacts breathing.
Q. How can oral health correct sleep apnea?
A. Children have narrower dental arches and smaller teeth that are closer together. That can restrict the development of your child's airways. By guiding the positioning and growth of your child's teeth as they come in and encouraging the forward alignment of their upper and lower jaws, you can maximize airflow and support airway development. Systems like HealthyStart support approaches to airway dentistry to help children correct sleep-disordered breathing.
Q. How does sleep affect my child?
A. Sleep is essential to help children grow and develop. Lack of sleep impairs children physically, mentally and emotionally. Studies show that children with severe sleep apnea, for example, have been associated with lower intelligence and testing scores and report deficits related to attention, memory, and language.
Q. How can I help my child get better sleep?
A. At home, parents should create a comfortable, cool, distraction-free sleeping environment for their children. Avoid screen time and other stimulating activities close to bedtime. Monitor your child's sleeping patterns and discuss your concerns with a total health dentist. Early intervention not only helps reduce your child's risk of needing braces in the future but can help gently straighten and position your child's teeth as they grow to support airway capacity.
Q. How do I find a sleep dentist for my child?
A. Besides recommendations from friends and family members, your child's pediatrician is a good source for recommendations. Doing an internet search of sleep dentists in your area is also a great place to start. You can often find several online reviews for a practitioner before making an appointment.
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Dental Terminology
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If you live in the Los Angeles area, call 310-906-1300 for an appointment in our Los Angeles office.
Helpful Related Links
- American Dental Association (ADA). Glossary of Dental Clinical Terms. 2024
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