Helping kids and adults sleep better
Sleep apnea often starts at a young age and can make everyday living for children and adults more difficult. Warsaw Orthodontics can help.
What is sleep apnea and SDB?
Sleep apnea, or sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a condition that affects a person’s ability to get quality sleep on a regular basis. In Greek, the word apnea means “without breath.” People with sleep apnea stop breathing while they are sleeping, interrupting deep sleep dozens or hundreds of times throughout the night and causing them to feel unrested the next day.
Children with SDB can exhibit behavioral problems, are sleepy during the day, and may have difficulties learning. Fortunately, there are ways to help children breathe better—and sleep better—at night.
Do orthodontists treat sleep apnea?
At Warsaw Orthodontics, we ask every patient to fill out a questionnaire that screens for SDB. If we think a patient may have sleep apnea, we refer them to an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) who is board certified in sleep medicine.
For our younger patients, the growth appliances and palatal expanders we prescribe can encourage forward development of the face and allow proper room for the tongue, which affects their airways. While this type of treatment is not designed to specifically treat sleep apnea, our parents often say their children are able to breathe better, and they see improvement in their sleep after using these appliances.
