From the time I attended my first Dental Continuing Education course, which was with the late Dr. John Witzig, I can remember a common theme among a large percentage of the “Before” photos: mouth breathing.  Having majored in Sports Medicine in college, I knew that, by design, we are all meant to breathe through our noses -- especially when sleeping.  It’s the body’s way of filtering and moistening the oxygen we require. 

Yet so often sitting in the back of the room watching photo after photo of kids being treated, whether it was Witzig, Rondeau, Spahl, Pfitzinger, Veis, Gelb, Mew, Hang, Song (just to name a few... and believe me that is only a few), I would see that same look:  long narrow faces, circles under youthful eyes, nose turned up, mouth open. 

At the time, I knew that paying attention in the back of all those hotel ballrooms was my chance to further my education. (In the case of Dr. Rondeau, I was most focused on not looking stupid when he would inevitably call on me to answer a question.)  What I didn’t realize, was that all those meetings would later afford me the ability to recognize my own daughters airway problems.

NOTE: What I didn’t mention in my last blog was that my oldest daughter, Grace, is adopted.  Unlike many adoptive parents, my wife and I had the opportunity to meet and spend a great deal of time with not only my daughters B-ma (biological mother), but also her B-pa and their four other children. I saw that face, the one I had seen so many times in so many ballroom sessions. It served as a “heads-up” to ensure my careful monitoring of my daughter’s airway growth -- from crib to toddler-bed to big-girl bed.

What I observed in those quiet hours -- after holding and singing and trying to put her down without waking her up (still singing) --  was my beauty rolling over onto her stomach much sooner than the parenting books said she should.  I saw her head posture up -- like she was looking to see the stars while laying on her belly.  Listening to her breath,  I came to notice that she was working at it just a little bit more. Each of these observations was, in itself, nothing to necessarily become alarmed about.  It was the pattern that emerged as I checked off a multitude of child development boxes. That pattern -- along with her observed genetic disposition -- rang the bell. My daughter was possibly developing an airway issue -- before her remaining primary teeth had erupted.  And on that note, I submit the following:

Here is 2014 Article from The Huffington Post, in which Dr. Michael Gelb states, “Many researchers have also shown how mouth-breathing leads to a long face, receded jaw and future TMJ and headache issues,” says Gelb. “It’s key to open the airway as early as possible — age three isn’t too early. It’s not necessary to wait until all the teeth are in.”

My hope is that through my chronicled experiences and this blog series, you will begin to build your own check-off sheet for your patients and your children (if you haven’t already).   It is imperative here to say that we are all individuals.  Not all grow and develop in the same manner, so let me be clear: this is my own daughter's growth and development story as seen through my eyes with my knowledge and experience.  Not every child that rolls over early is going to develop and airway problem.  However, as our fearless SML leader Dr. Rob Veis taught me many years ago, “You can’t treat what you cannot recognize...and we need parents to begin to recognize these issues for the betterment of their kids and our society.”  Worth noting.