At MyoWay Centers for Kids, The Foundation for a Healthy Life is Created in Childhood

By Janice Lane Palko

Like falling dominoes, when one aspect of health collapses, it can lead to a cascade of other health issues, and it can possibly have ramification that reach far into the future as well. 

The initial “domino” can be orofacial myofunctional disorders, leading to underdeveloped jaws and airways also known as small jaw syndrome. This can manifest in children as mouth breathing, sleep related breathing disorders such as sleep apnea, thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, speech issues, messy eating, behavioral issues, bed wetting, difficulty with attention and learning, dental issues, teeth grinding, and much more. Research shows that 90% of children show signs and symptoms of underdeveloped jaws and airways.

“If a child’s jaw and airway are underdeveloped,” said Leslie Pasco, D.M.D., “it can lead to a host of sleep-related breathing disorders that can reveal themselves as symptoms similar to ADHD, which could lead to a misdiagnosis.” 

Dr. Leslie spent 26 years as a general dentist, treating hundreds of thousands of patients over her career and observing the serious pandemic of small jaw syndrome afflicting the developed world. Therefore, she decided to dedicate the remaining years of her career to preventative myofunctional therapy to help children grow right, breathe right and live better by founding MyoWay Center for Kids, 100 Bradford, Suite 200, Wexford.

The reason why so many children have small jaw syndrome is that our genetic code has maladapted to our modern way of life. A 2018 Stanford University Press blog post stated that anthropologists who have studied ancient skulls have observed that our Stone Age ancestors did not have crooked teeth and need braces because their jaws were fully developed. However, that is a side issue as the post elaborates: 

At its root, the problem we face is that we have entered a space age world with Stone Age genes—genes that evolved to produce jaws adapted to a hunter-gatherer diet. Today’s jaws epidemic is concealed behind the commonplace. Its most obvious symptoms are oral and facial: crooked teeth (and the accompanying very common use of braces), receding jaws, a smile that shows lots of gums, mouth breathing, and interrupted breathing during sleep. A bother, but hardly an “epidemic”—at least until one recognizes the relationship between malocclusion and a veritable host of downstream health consequences.

One of those downstream health consequences is the epidemic of sleep apnea in adults. For instance, in a study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine it showed “there are approximately 30 million Americans suffering from obstructive sleep apnea; yet only 6 million people are officially diagnosed.”

The good news is that with early intervention in children many of these issues can be avoided. “With Myofunctional Therapy, we train the oral, facial and airway muscles from ages birth and up so that kids can grow right, breathe right and live better,” said Dr. Leslie, who noted that they have been getting great results for their patients and much positive feedback.

“We prescribe non-invasive, comfortable medical-grade silicon appliances that the child wears for one hour every day and overnight. We also customize our programs with simple exercises that strengthen the muscles of the jaws and airways,” said Dr. Leslie, who observed that one of the primary indicators of a child having small jaw syndrome is snoring. 

“While snoring may be cute in a baby, it actually indicates that child is not breathing properly,” said Dr. Leslie, who advises parents to call for a free evaluation even at an early age. MyoWay Centers for Kids treats children in a very child friendly, non-clinical style environment that children love. With special patented appliances and regular activity sessions in a super environment, children thrive with the MyoWay programs. 

“Our mission is to help children from birth and older to reach their full growing and breathing potential that God intended, giving them a better quality of life,” said Dr. Leslie. And that foundation of health can help to create healthier adults as well. “If you know someone or if you have sleep apnea, you know that it can wreak havoc with your life. And CPAPs are a pain and surgical options are risky. It’s wise to address myofunctional disorders when it is found in children when they can be easily corrected,” said Dr. Leslie.

To learn more about MyoWay Centers for Kids visit the website at: www.myowaycenters.com or call (724) 765-0001.