A recent study illustrates the need for children to be evaluated for sleep disordered breathing according to patterns of tooth grinding and tooth wear.
It takes a lot for kids to grind their teeth. Throughout my career, I have seen kids with tooth wear in one year that equals adults with tooth wear accrued over 10 or 20 years. So that tells me something significant is happening to these kids.
What it all comes down to is airway patency. If the breathing hole for a kid is too small or obstructed, it will trigger a pathological grinding of teeth.
Dentists are usually the care providers that will first diagnose an airway problem for your kids. So it's best you have a dentist with a substantial medical background and training in airway management. And wouldn't you know it? I am one of those dentists. I am a member of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, and regularly attend grand rounds with the pulmonary and sleep medicine physicians at North Puget Sound Sleep Center.
The rule of thumb for all practitioners is: "treat adults realistically, and kids ideally." Which means that if there is any evidence your child has a breathing obstruction, I will recommend a referral to a pediatric ear-nose-throat specialist or a pediatric sleep medicine specialist. I will do this to thoroughly investigate and properly treat any of the underlying problems causing the breathing disorder.We have all of them in our community, located at the Everett Clinic group and North Puget Sound Sleep Center.
So call us to schedule your children for their routine dental checkups--we make airway examinations and medical health reviews a routine part of dental visits for your kids.
No comments:
Post a Comment