Sleep Considerations
Even while we sleep important things are happening.
Mouth Breathing & Cavity Risk
When we sleep, our body produces less saliva.
Our saliva is one of the factors our body produces to protect our teeth from cavities.
If your child is mouth-breathing, their mouth dries out and their protective factors during sleep decrease.
Brushing at night, then, is even more critical to dental health since we want all food particles off of our teeth overnight while we have less saliva to protect us.
Disordered Breathing in Kids
Sleep disordered breathing (often obstructive sleep apnea) is more common in children than we think.
Sleep is critical for brain development & growth.
Detecting the signs of sleep apnea is the first step towards diagnosis and eventual treatment.
Dr. Sam screens every patient for obstructive sleep apnea and helps parent determine the most likely causes as well as next steps towards decreasing its presence so your child can get back to a good night’s sleep.
