• Apnea is cessation of breathing during sleep
• Snoring is frequently associated with sleep apnea
• 90% or more of all apnea patients snore
• Apnea and snoring are collectively referred to as Sleep Disordered Breathing
• Failure to treat sleep disordered breathing in children puts them at risk for very serious health problems
• The gold standard for diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing is a polysomnographic study.  It is performed at a sleep laboratory.

PARENTS, THIS IS ONE THING TO LOOK FOR.  The child above is sleeping with her mouth open.  Note the already protruding upper anterior teeth and the chapped lips.  She is mouth breathing.  The inspired air is not being properly warmed, humidified and filtered.  She is developing an open bite, improper anterior tongue thrust swallow, and a narrow upper arch.  She may or may not have obstructive sleep apnea, but this is not a healthy pattern.  Talk to your pediatrician or dentist.

THESE KIDS ARE ALL MOUTH BREATHING BECAUSE SOME PART OF THEIR AIRWAY IS OBSTRUCTED