HealthyStart™
If your little one snores, gasps, or exhibits signs of poor sleep, they may be suffering from an airway problem called pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The sounds of snoring and gasping are made when your child struggles to breathe effectively at night. While snoring is one of the easiest signs that point to this condition, sometimes the symptoms of SDB are less obvious, like teeth grinding, headaches, mouth breathing, or even bed-wetting. To assess your child’s risk of SDB and seek adequate treatment early, schedule an appointment with Dr. Gehlert or Dr. Bowen. They will expertly evaluate your child’s risk, suggesting the HealthyStart™ System as a permanent solution if appropriate.
How HealthyStart™ works
The HealthyStart™ System uses a series of orthodontic and orthopedic oral sleep devices that aid proper teeth, jaw, and mouth alignment as your child grows. By correctly aligning the lower jaw and teeth while your child is still developing, HealthyStart™ enables the creation of a clear airway that eliminates SDB and later straightens teeth without braces. This pain-free, comfortable device is a permanent solution when begun early enough that promotes lifelong healthy breathing.
If your child suffers from SDB, seeking treatment early is important. Just as early treatment ensures a permanent solution for a lifelong health issue, ignoring SDB can lead to long-term side effects that negatively impact all aspects of your child’s life. Some consequences of untreated airway problems include the following:
- Poor behavior and learning: Sleep is crucial for your child’s daily functioning. Undiagnosed SDB may lead to chronic impairment in behavior and learning, which can cause, exacerbate, or contribute to symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Because both ADD and ADHD have been linked to poor sleep in childhood, it is crucial that children who are diagnosed with these attention deficit conditions are evaluated for sleep disorders, which may be the underlying cause of disrupted behavior and learning.
- Impaired growth and development: During sleep, necessary hormones for growth are produced. Interruptions to sleep and poor breathing can affect this production, leading to improper development.
- Bed-wetting: SDB is linked to bed-wetting. If your child wets the bed, impaired breathing may be to blame. Since poor sleep and oxygen shortages can disrupt the body’s control over many systems, including the urologic system, bed-wetting can be a direct result of an airway problem.
- Decreased energy and obesity: Energy levels are often drastically affected by SDB. A child who does not breathe easily at night often experiences daytime fatigue, is less physically active, and may have a body that is resistant to insulin.
- Social concerns: Snoring and gasping in sleep is a common symptom of SDB, but it can also be a source of social embarrassment for children.
If you are concerned about your child’s sleep-disordered breathing and hope to find a permanent solution, call us today to discuss the potential of using HealthyStart™. We look forward to helping your child breathe better and enjoy their beautiful, aligned smile! Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
Wellness Services
Ozone Therapy
We are proud to use natural ozone therapies to target and eliminate bacteria in the mouth. The use of ozone offers many benefits, from remineralization of enamel to fighting infection. By pairing this advanced treatment with dental procedures and surgeries, we can encourage better oral health and eliminate the possibility of bacterial growth following a treatment.
Learn MoreHealthyStart™
The HealthyStart™ System offers relief to children who suffer from sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). This innovative system straightens teeth without braces, helping children breathe clearly and avoid long-term consequences of interrupted sleep. By tackling the underlying cause of SDB, HealthyStart™ creates a clear airway for children, offering a permanent solution to sleep-related breathing problems and a beautiful, aligned smile.
Learn MoreMercury-Free Fillings
One common filling used by dentists is a material called amalgam, or silver fillings. Though many people have these fillings without experiencing any health consequence, amalgam does contain mercury, putting some patients at risk for complications, including allergic reactions to mercury and overexposure to the toxin. We are proud to offer our patients safe, mercury-free alternatives like our tooth-colored composite fillings.
Learn MoreTMJ Services
For those suffering from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, we can protect your teeth, ease your discomfort, and provide you with a healthy, effective solution you deserve.
Learn MoreSoft Tissue Laser
Using a soft tissue laser offers improved accuracy and healing times for a variety of procedures. Benefits of using soft tissues lasers in surgery include reduced swelling, less discomfort, and reduced bleeding for patients—creating a more enjoyable experience for the patient and a more precise result.
Learn MoreSleep Therapy
When patients experience sleep problems, like snoring or sleep apnea, they often fail to realize the role that their mouth plays in creating these issues. Our sleep services, including SomnoMed and sleep guards, gently push the jaw forward, creating a clear airway during the night that improves snoring and sleep apnea. This often eliminates the need for more intensive and uncomfortable treatments, like the use of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.
Learn MoreNutrition
Food has the potential to nourish or harm our bodies, affecting not only oral health, but also your entire body. By prioritizing nutrients and wellness, you can experience the wonderful effects of balanced health—without sacrificing the joy and flavors of food.
Learn MoreNontoxic Dental Materials
At Bowen Legacy Dental, we are committed to using only non-toxic dental materials. By keeping our plastics BPA-free and our fillings free from mercury, we help you maintain good oral health and total body wellness.
Learn MoreCone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)
Using small cameras in your mouth, the CBCT allows us to capture precise, highly detailed 3D images of your teeth. The detail of these images is invaluable for accurate diagnostics, in-depth recording of dental problems, and improved communication between patient and dentist. This cutting edge technology is the best of dental imaging, and our practice is proud to be one of the few offices in central Ohio who has the Cone Beam CT Scan at our disposal.
Learn MoreMyofunctional Therapy
Orofacial myofunctional disorders prohibit your tongue and facial muscles from optimally functioning. Over time, these disorders can seriously impact the quality of your life—leading to issues like sleep-disordered breathing or malocclusions. A variety of behaviors fall into this category, including:
Learn MoreOrthotropic Appliance Therapy
Orthotropic appliance therapy is an innovative, holistic, and preventive treatment that guides pediatric facial growth. Using specialized oral appliances with patient compliance, we can prevent the onset or worsening of many problems. These include issues like misaligned teeth, difficulty biting and chewing, improper swallowing, pediatric sleep-disordered breathing, obstructive sleep apnea, speech difficulties, and TMJ disorders.
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Family Dentistry
Our family dentistry ranges from general examinations to dental implants and dentures. We care for smiles across all stages of life and look forward to helping you create a foundation for better overall health.
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Cosmetic Dentistry
We provide a selection of cosmetic dental options to help you love your smile! From veneers to advanced whitening, our cosmetic services are safe and effective ways to boost your smile—without sacrificing your smile health.
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Wellness Services
We know that oral health has the power to affect your entire wellness. All of our dental services are based on the principles of whole-body wellness and are committed to boosting your overall health through safe, effective, non-toxic means, like mercury-free fillings and balanced nutrition.
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