"We can’t build lifelong health on a foundation of poor breathing. Every child deserves the chance to breathe, sleep, and thrive — and every clinician should be empowered to connect the dots and help unlock airway health at every age."

Do you ever notice your child snoring during their sleep? Perhaps you dismissed it as normal or even cute? However, what if I told you that snoring could be a sign of something much deeper? In this blog post, we’ll explore how snoring can impact your child’s behaviour and development, and why it’s crucial to...

The Australian Orthodontic Society recommends that children have their first orthodontic evaluation by age 7. Many parents take their child to the orthodontist with concerns of dental crowding and problems like overbites, and they are placed on a program of annual reviews and monitoring of the problem with the aim of ideally delaying treatment until...

Did you know tongue scalloping or tooth indents on the side of the tongue, are a strong clinical indicator of obstructive breathing during sleep? Tongue scalloping is a result of low tongue tone and posture.  It often reflects poor palate development and constricted tongue space. Research suggests in a pool of people with tongue scalloping:...

Teeth grinding related dental wear is a strong predictor a child has disturbed breathing during sleep. If a child is grinding their teeth during sleep, a screening for sleep and airway problems is worthwhile. The other type of dental wear commonly seen in children is erosion, or acid wear – magnified in the image. This...

Tongue tie release – should my child have this done under GA at the time of ENT surgery? Having a tongue tie release whilst a child is under for other surgery like removal of adenoids and tonsils or the insertion of grommets can seem an attractive option. But I don’t always think this option is...

Tongue tie release – should my child have this done under GA at the time of ENT surgery? Having a tongue tie release whilst a child is under for other surgery like removal of adenoids and tonsils or the insertion of grommets can seem an attractive option. But I don’t always think this option is...

Tongue tie release – should my child have this done under GA at the time of ENT surgery? Having a tongue tie release whilst a child is under for other surgery like removal of adenoids and tonsils or the insertion of grommets can seem an attractive option. But I don’t always think this option is...

Tongue tie release – should my child have this done under GA at the time of ENT surgery? Having a tongue tie release whilst a child is under for other surgery like removal of adenoids and tonsils or the insertion of grommets can seem an attractive option. But I don’t always think this option is...

Tongue tie release – should my child have this done under GA at the time of ENT surgery? Having a tongue tie release whilst a child is under for other surgery like removal of adenoids and tonsils or the insertion of grommets can seem an attractive option. But I don’t always think this option is...

My child needs their adenoids and tonsils removed and palate expansion – what should we do first? Many snoring children will have immediate sleep and symptomatic improvements with surgical removal of enlarged adenoids and tonsils. However, research tells us surgery is not a complete cure. Often children will have residual breathing disturbances during sleep, or...

Tongue tie release – should my child have this done under GA at the time of ENT surgery? Having a tongue tie release whilst a child is under for other surgery like removal of adenoids and tonsils or the insertion of grommets can seem an attractive option. But I don’t always think this option is...

The target of myofunctional orthodontics is the poor muscle patterns that contribute to poor jaw development and crooked teeth. These include: Open mouth breathing Tongue ties Oral habits including dummy, thumb and finger sucking Tongue thrusts and reverse swallowing Approaches include: Management of obstructed airways and tongue ties Myofunctional therapy Myofunctional appliances – including Myo...

Did you know that it is normal to have a fleshy attachment between the upper lip and the front of the top gum? This attachment is called a lip-tie when it restricts normal mobility of the upper lip. The upper lip needs to be mobile to achieve a deeper latch, and can be important to...

8-month-old – one week review post upper lip and tongue tie release It’s fascinating to see the subtle influence the muscles of the mouth and face have on a child’s facial development and appearance over the years, or sometimes even sooner. This young man had a long history of feeding issues, but ties had been...

Yesterday I saw eight expansion patients between the ages of 3-4 years. It made me reflect on how much younger my patient base is becoming, how impactful I’m finding it, and my journey starting treatment younger and younger. The traditional age for expansion is age 7-8 years when the first permanent teeth start to come...

If a child is unable to elevate the tip of the tongue to their palate, without touching the teeth when asked, this can be described as tongue motor immaturity. It could be a marker of disturbed breathing during sleep. A comprehensive study analysing the jaw, dental and oral muscle characteristics of 100 children with persistent...

Did you know chronic nasal obstruction and/or open mouth breathing during early childhood influences the way the face grows? The impact depends on the extent and duration of facial muscle adaptations. One of the most recognized patterns of facial growth linked to mouth breathing is a vertical growth pattern called “Adenoid facies” or “long face...

When the jaws don’t grow properly, it reflects a distortion of the entire cranial and facial skeleton. Craniofacial dystrophy is a term that was coined to describe this and the set of symptoms that commonly occur with this. These include: Jaw joint and muscle dysfunction Obstructive sleep apnoea Crooked teeth and impacted wisdom teeth Narrow...