Many children who struggle with airway development don’t snore or have obvious sleep apnea. Signs can include mouth breathing, restless sleep, teeth grinding, bedwetting, dark circles, frequent colds or ear infections, speech issues, or difficulty focusing. A pediatric airway dentist looks at how your child breathes, sleeps, and grows, not just their teeth—often catching issues years before they become bigger health problems.

Yes. A child’s face, jaws, and airway are still developing. With early, gentle expansion and habit correction (nasal breathing, tongue posture), we can often stimulate natural growth, create more space for the tongue and airway, and reduce the need for braces, extractions, or surgery later.

Mouth breathing lowers oxygen levels and disrupts sleep quality. Poor sleep can affect brain development, emotional regulation, attention, and memory. Many children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD are actually struggling with chronic sleep deprivation from airway restriction.

Traditional braces straighten teeth but often do not address airway size or breathing—and sometimes make it worse by retracting teeth. Airway-focused orthodontics looks at how the face grows, how the child breathes, and how the jaws support the airway, not just how teeth look.

Earlier than most parents think. We recommend an airway evaluation as early as ages 3–7, especially if there’s mouth breathing, snoring, speech issues, frequent infections, or crowding. Early intervention is usually simpler, more natural, and more effective.