Your Child Knows He/She Is Snoring At Night. Were You Aware Of It?

What Shall You Do About The Snoring In Your Boy Or Girl?

As part of our support to our local community in Reston, Herndon, Great Falls, Vienna; the team at Sunrise Orthodontics visits schools to promote Career Day.

Visiting Lake Anne Elementary School, Dr. Calkins and her team composed of Ana Worway and Brandi Clapp; shared with 45 students of second grade, the importance of the correct growth of their face, the position of their teeth and their airway. Out of 45 children, at least 24 had a manifestation of sleep-disordered breathing and the wrong bite or facial growth (craniofacial dystrophy and orofacial muscle imbalance).

We asked the children: Do you snore? When does that happen? Are your parents aware of it?

Three to four participants, 12 total, in class raised their hand and stood up in front of their classmates: “I snore at night”. “I do not know if my parents know that I snore”.

Our mission at Sunrise Orthodontics is to educate our children, teachers and parents about the presence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children, as young as three-years-old.

Sleep-disordered breathing is characterized by disruptions in normal breathing patterns that include snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Children, even newborns, are vulnerable to SDB. In children, undiagnosed or untreated OSA can be associated to cardiovascular problems, impaired growth as well as learning and behavioral problems that could be misdiagnosed as ADHD.

At Sunrise Orthodontics, Dr. Calkins plays an essential role in the care of children, as young as newborns, in the assessment and education of potential SDB. Collaborative models with other medical and dental specialties is implemented to identify and treat children at risk of Sleep-Disordered Breathing.

Through early orthodontic intervention and comprehensive patient customized program in Orofacial Myology, children that have been screened through medical history and clinical examination can be assisted to develop the anatomical structures in the craniofacial-respiratory complex. We are proud to assist patients as young as three years old, when the function is developing in the child.

By maintaining constant communication with the interdisciplinary team caring for our patients, our children are able to correct sleep-disordered breathing and live a healthy, happier childhood.

Dr. Calkins, in collaboration with pediatricians, otorhinolaryngology (ENT), pediatric dentists is creating a culture of awareness about SDB in children.