Does Bottle Feeding Cause Sleep Apnea in Children? By Krithika Jayaprakash DDS, FAGD, NMD, IBDM
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s parents, we always try to do the best for our kids. We believe in breastfeeding; many health-conscious parents go out of their way to find organic, natural, non-GMO food to provide their kids with the best, safest nutrition. And though we put in that extra effort, there are times we are unable to provide the best for our children. We all know that nutrition and an active lifestyle play a significant role in raising healthy children. However, many of us are unaware of a significant issue our kids may face—being able to breath regularly. We can live without food for more than a week and without water for up to three days, but we cannot live without breathing for more than four minutes. Being a dentist, I was urged to send my patients to an orthodontist whenever I notice crowded or crooked teeth in 7–8-yearold kids. So why am I seeing so many adult patients in their 30s and 40s with crowded teeth? Many of these patients have told me that as kids, they had braces for 2–4 years. This information led me to research this phenomenon further, as I have kids and also have many children as patients. Do I want the same thing happening to them? As I delved deeper, I realized this journey was leading me to look at the source of crowded/crooked teeth.
Early intervention in oral health and proper growth can help your kids breathe easier and live healthier.
Why Breastfeeding Matters in Dental Health When a baby is breastfed, it is not only about the nutrition, it is also about how their muscles are activated. Their muscles of their cheeks, tongue, and lips are all engaged, and the tongue presses firmly against the palate as well. The tongue is constantly at work, helping babies’ upper jaws grow and expand, which leads to the lower jaw expanding as well. Unfortunately, the same is not true for bottle feeding. In bottle feeding, babies are using the muscles differently, the tongue is not in the roof of the mouth, and the mouth is almost like “fish mouth,” causing negative pressure. In such a situation, the palate is not expanding as significantly as with breastfeeding, leaving less space for teeth. Many children in this situation grow adults with narrow jaws. When the jaw becomes narrow and grows upward rather than growing wide
and sideways, the nasal bone has less space to grow downward and results in a deviated septum and associated airway issues. Children with this condition are not able to breathe properly at night; they are sleeping restlessly and waking up numerous times at night, causing them to be cranky and difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Some children may respond to this poor sleep by being hyperactive as a means of staying awake during the day. When we as adults are sleep deprived, we may be grumpy, lethargic, and unable to function, and the same is true for children. When kids are not sleeping properly, however, they are often misdiagnosed, labeled, and put on medications they don’t need, when the real solution is ensuring they are getting the sleep they need. Early Intervention in Kids to Produce Healthy Adults By age 4, children have about 60% of the facial skeleton growth they will have as adults; by age 12, they have reached 90% growth. Early intervention is the best thing we can do for our children—when they get early treatment, we can facilitate the growth instead of fighting against it. Straightening teeth will not help with breathing issues in the long term, as we www.NaturalNutmeg.com
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