Welcome to
South Bay Airway Health Collective
Collaborate. Educate. Thrive.
Patient outcomes improve when multi-disciplinary teams use a collaborative approach to care.
The primary goal of the South Bay Airway Health Collective is to provide parents with the information and resources they need to make the best decisions for their family. Our practitioners stay up to date on all the latest research and literature in airway health and we aim to share that information in a clear and easy to digest manner.
We host seminars and community events focused on airway, breathing, eating and sleeping which are designed to educate parents and provide comfort that there are resources available to them if and when they need assistance.
Our network of practitioners are focused on identifying and diagnosing the causes of breathing, eating and sleeping issues, and intervening as early as possible to ensure your children develop to their maximum potential.
RESOURCES
Who We Are
We are a network of healthcare practitioners in the South Bay (Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, Lomita) committed to improving children's health, growth, and development through collaboration and specialized care focused on the crucial aspects of airway function, tongue posture and facial development. Our mission is to educate families and support children to optimize their breathing, eating, sleeping and speaking.
Common Signs of Underdeveloped Jaw
and Airway Disorders
If a child’s jaw or tongue structures are not developing or functioning properly, it can negatively affect their ability to breathe, sleep, breastfeed and even eat certain foods. Over time, these developmental indicators can cause serious health conditions or compensations that have to be addressed later in life. There are also very clear structural, functional and behavioral indicators that a child is suffering from an airway disorder — some of which can be identified as early as childbirth.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep that last for several seconds or longer. These pauses can occur multiple times throughout the night and can lead to disruptions in sleep, decreased oxygen levels in the body, and a range of health issues.
Breastfeeding concerns
The tongue position is important to maintain a latch and create a vacuum suction to receive milk. With a low tongue position or tight lingual frenum, the tongue is not able to move under the nipple and a vacuum suction is not obtained. Without this suction, the baby is unable to excrete the milk and may be ingesting air throughout the feeding. This is why mothers may experience pain (due to poor suction) and why infants are unable to latch, have a poor latch, or are colicky/gassy.
Large tonsils and adenoids
Tonsils can enlarge due to chronic mouth breathing. When a person breathes through their mouth, particularly during sleep, the air flow can cause the tonsils to become irritated and swollen. Chronic mouth breathing can also lead to dehydration of the nasal passages, which can cause the tonsils to enlarge in an attempt to humidify and filter the air entering the lungs
Sleep Disordred Breathing
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children refers to breathing irregularities during sleep, including snoring and sleep apnea, which can have significant health implications. One contributing factor to SDB is mouth breathing. Habitual mouth breathing can lead to a chain of physiological changes, including altered tongue posture and jaw position. This can result in the narrowing of the upper airway, making it more susceptible to partial blockage during sleep. As a result, proper airflow is compromised, potentially leading to disruptions in breathing patterns and inadequate oxygen intake.
Speech Delays
Children with speech delays often have underlying oral muscle dysfunction, including incorrect swallowing and tongue-thrusting patterns, which can contribute to the development of sleep-disordered breathing. When the airway becomes obstructed during sleep, it can lead to fragmented and poor quality sleep, affecting the child's ability to concentrate, learn, and develop speech and language skills. In some cases, treating sleep-disordered breathing can improve speech and language development in children
Crooked Teeth
(Malocclusion)
Mouth breathing can contribute to the development of crooked teeth and misaligned dental arches in several ways. When a child habitually breathes through the mouth instead of the nose, it can disrupt the natural growth and positioning of the jaw and facial bones during crucial developmental stages. The tongue usually rests against the palate, aiding in its proper growth and alignment. However, mouth breathing can lead to a lowered tongue posture and a lack of proper pressure against the upper palate, causing it to narrow and resulting in inadequate space for teeth to erupt. This can lead to dental crowding and misalignment.
Ear Infections
The Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the back of the throat, is responsible for equalizing air pressure in the ear and draining fluids from the middle ear. However, when a child's jaw is small, it can result in a narrow or constricted upper airway, and the Eustachian tube may not function properly, leading to fluid buildup in the middle ear and an increased risk of ear infection.
Bedwetting
Difficulty breathing during sleep and repeated awakenings, (i) leads to increased arousal from deep sleep, which can interfere with the normal bladder control mechanisms, and (ii) causes a decreased production of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which regulates urine production during sleep, leading to bedwetting.
Asthma & Sinitus
Numerous studies have demonstrated that mouth breathing was associated with the worsening of asthma - even participants in the study who did not have asthma experienced poorer lower lung function and more sensitivity to house dust mites when they mouth-breathed.
ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in sustaining attention, controlling impulses, and managing hyperactivity. Recent research suggests a possible link between fragmented sleep and intermittent drops in oxygen levels, caused by airway issues and children’s cognitive and behavioral issues, including inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity—core symptoms of ADHD.
Difficulty Swallowing or Starting Solids, and Picky or Slow Eating
Grinding, Snoring and Night Terrors
Grinding teeth at nighttime can be a sign of the lower jaw moving forward to open the airway during this obstruction. Snoring is never normal and can be a sign of an airway collapse due to a small or restricted airway. Night terrors or waking up at nighttime can also be a sign of sleep disordered breathing. This is the body's way of keeping up oxygen levels by waking up the child when oxygen levels are low. ​
Where to Start?
The earlier we identify and treat a problem, the better chance we have to solve the problem and avoid any consequences of not treating as the child grows and develops. Early intervention treatment methods are also inherently less invasive because the body is much more responsive to the treatment as the jaws and oral cavity are still forming.
Consider a consultation with one of our team members. Our team member's provide services in cities throughout the South Bay including Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance and Lomita. If you're unsure where to start, we would recommend an appointment with one of our group's pediatric dentists who have specialty training and advanced technologies available to assess your child's overall oral health and development, and help decide on a course of treatment based on specific findings, which may include a referral to one of our other team members that have the specific skills and resources to help your child achieve optimal health and development.
