Pediatric Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea in Children Treatment in Bolton, MA – New England Area

Is your child having sleep-related issues? Do you think your child is suffering from sleep apnea? The TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre provides the best information for children with sleep apnea in Bolton, Massachusetts.

Sleep apnea in children is a disorder that causes interruptions or pauses in their breathing during sleep. Causing disturbances in their sleep, it impacts the quality of sleep. As a result children with this ailment experience drowsiness and behavioral issues during the day. There are two types of sleep apneas in children: obstructive and central.

In the former, a constriction or blockage in the airway – either in the back of the nose or throat – leads to breathing issues during sleep. On the other hand, central sleep apnea may be caused by a lack of effort to inhale or because the part of the brain that is responsible for sending the required signals for breathing to the muscles is not functioning.

Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening Quiz

Does your child snore or grind teeth when asleep? When it comes to snoring or bruxism in children: it is NOT just noise!

If you think your child may be suffering from sleep apnea in Bolton, Massachusetts or anywhere else for that matter, take the simple quiz below. However please note that the quiz results are indicative at best and a consultation with our qualified medical professional is essential for a proper diagnosis of sleep apnea in children near the Bolton area.

Does your child have any of the following symptoms

-Continuous loud snoring
-Episodes of not breathing at night (apnea)
-Failure to thrive (weight loss or poor weight gain)
-Chronic mouth breathing
-Enlarged tonsils and adenoids (with frequent sore throat infections)
-Problems sleeping, bed wetting and restless sleep (including sleep walking)
-Excessive daytime sleepiness
-Frequent headaches
-Daytime cognitive and behavior problems, including problems paying attention, aggressive behavior and hyperactivity, which can lead to problems at school
-Does your child wake up in the same position in which they went to sleep?
-Are the bed sheets nicely placed or strewn all over the bed in the morning?
-Do your children have dark circles under their eyes?
-Do your children seem inattentive?

Children on average clench and grind their teeth 50% more than adults. This is extremely problematic for the child’s facial, airway and TMJ formation as another purpose to the baby teeth is “holding the position of the jaw”. When the teeth are lost or the size of the teeth diminish due to bruxism, the lower face profiles is reduced vertically which then negatively impacts the airway, negatively impacts aesthetics, and can even retrude (pull back) the jaw closer to the ears.

There is strong research that shows that children with ADD/ADHD and behavioral issues have sleep breathing issues, and that correction of the sleep breathing disorder eliminates or greatly reduces the symptoms of ADD/ADHD.

Treatment of Pediatric Sleep Disorders

Treatment of pediatric sleep disorders including child sleep apnea treatment in Bolton is most commonly successful with palatal expansion (in this office we use ALF appliances to achieve the desired results) tonsil and adenoid removal and CPAP therapy. However, research has shown that CPAP use in growing children can flatten their faces.

Pediatric sleep bruxism-related tooth wear may be utilized as a clinical marker for underlying pediatric sleep-disordered breathing, allowing the dental practitioner to make a prompt referral of the child to appropriate medical specialists concerned with the early diagnosis and management of this condition.

The following simple test will help identify if your child has Sleep Problems:

1. Ask them to wake you every time they awake throughout the night.
2. After 3 nights ask yourself, “Did I get a good nights sleep?”

By mimicking your child’s sleep habits, you can gauge the severity of disruption to their sleep. These symptoms as well as bedwetting can be corrected with early detection and orthodontic treatment. The TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of New England offers effective treatment for sleep apnea in children in Bolton Massachusetts. Request an appointment today to take the first step towards helping your child enjoy peaceful sleep at night.

We Can Help You.

Call us today to learn more about treating your TMJ or Sleep challenges.

(978) 779-0865