Many of our Dallas Moms’ team members trust myKIDSdds with their pediatric dentistry needs. We all agree that getting our children’s teeth cleaned on a regular basis is important. Did you know that myKIDSdds looks at the whole child and can also identify sleep disorder breathing and other airway issues in young children?
Looking at the Whole Child
“Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body, so there is an oral and systemic health connection.” states pediatric dentist, Dr. Glenn Cohen. “Because of our training and expertise, we really do have the ability to identify some sleep disorder breathing in young children. We see it time and time again that the education that we provide for our patients really impacts their lives from childhood to adulthood. It’s one body, and everything is interconnected.”
Many times a dentist will notice a potential airway problem before the pediatrician. Dr. Mark Kogut (pediatric dentist) adds that “It’s not just looking at tongues and teeth and lips. It’s looking at the whole child. When we work with a child that has an airway problem, we’re going to pick this up in many cases way before their pediatrician will.” This was very true in my particular case.
Breathing Complications
This is my personal story with how our pediatric dentist identified breathing complications in my daughter, Aria. Around age 5, she started having nosebleeds. In the summer of 2019 when she was 6.5, her nosebleeds increased in frequency and thickness. She also began waking up frequently at night gasping for breath. This led to a lack of sleep and more interruptions in the classroom and during other extracurricular activities. As a result, I had her tested for ADHD.
She did not qualify for treatment in regards to ADHD specifically, but I knew something was wrong. I was continually reassured that she was healthy according to her charts by her pediatrician and to just keep an eye on her. I was so scared she was going to choke on her own blood that I started losing sleep staring at a monitor. Even though the mom in me knew she was not okay, I still didn’t realize the severity of the situation until we went to a new pediatric dentist to get a couple of cavities filled.
Identifying the Problems
The pediatric dentist knew right away something was going on based on Aria’s teeth development, tonsils, and nose. He asked about her sleeping patterns. At this point, I brought up the nosebleeds, the constant sleep interruptions, behavior patterns, and more. He informed me that I was not crazy. At that point, he reassured me and educated me on airway abnormalities and specific treatment plan options for Aria.
With his referral, we saw an ENT within that same week. Aria had several procedures during surgery. This was followed by a tongue bed appliance, braces, and now a retainer. Aria will be 8 this month, and she is a whole new child. She is healthier with zero nosebleeds, sleeps through the night, and even has better speech!
The Child’s Mouth Matters
It’s still astonishing to me that it was our pediatric dentist who identified these issues. Make sure to see your child’s dentist regularly and bring up any concerns about your child. They could very well be connected back to your child’s mouth and airways.
Dr. Alejandra Villasenor is a pediatric dentist who states, “There is a misconception out there where parents sometimes don’t know the health of the child’s mouth matters. We can assess airway, tongue ties, the development at an early age of markers for heart disease.”
It is no surprise to our team that myKIDSdds has been voted Best Dentist of 2020 for D Magazine. If you are not already familiar with myKIDSdds, please take a second to check out the following three articles:
“Feeling So Confident About MyKIDSdds, Y’all” by Katie Lewis
“Why Seeing a Pediatric Dentist is Super Important” by Katie Lewis
“What to Expect at your Child’s First Dental Appointment” by Brooke Bolt
myKIDSdds :: FACEBOOK :: TWITTER :: INSTAGRAM
