MyoWay Centers for Kids Opens in Wexford

By Janice Lane Palko

Since the arrival of COVID, we’ve all become aware of pandemics, but there is one pandemic that is flying under the radar, and it is wreaking havoc on our children’s health. “Ninety percent of children show signs of small jaw syndrome,” said Leslie Pasco, D.M.D., “which can lead to a host of sleep-related breathing disorders such as ADHD symptoms, behavioral and learning issues, snoring, poor sleep, fatigue, teeth grinding, crowded teeth, mouth breathing, headaches, digestive issues, poor posture, bedwetting, and general anxiety.” These issues follow children into adulthood if the root cause is not addressed.

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 opening MyoWay Center for Kids, which debuted on May 1 at 100 Bradford, Suite 200, Wexford.

MyoWay offers myofunctional therapy, a non-invasive approach to support jaw growth and enhance breathing patterns in children, empowering them to develop healthy oral habits and alleviate respiratory issues.

“Small jaw syndrome was written about in the 1800s and is a product of our times. Basically, our genetic code has not changed to keep up with our modern way of life. Today’s industrialized societies are plagued by small jaws leading to restricted airways and crooked teeth,” said Dr. Leslie. “This is a result of a faster pace of life, agriculture producing softer processed foods, and environmental pollutants leading to restricted nasal breathing and increased mouth breathing.”

Of all the bodily systems, respiration is imperative. We can’t go for long without breathing, and Dr. Leslie explained that our sympathetic nervous system—the fight or flight response—is designed to protect us when confronted with danger. One of the physical responses besides increased heart rate produced when in fight or flight mode is a switch to mouth breathing.

“However, if a child is mouth breathing instead of nasal breathing, this can tell the child’s brain that they are in danger, and their little bodies respond with increased heart rate, inability to focus, irregular blood circulation and oxygenation. When this happens, the brain diverts from other functions like digestion and the brain’s ability to focus. Fight or flight is meant as a short-term response not as a way of living,” said Dr. Leslie. “This is why children are being diagnosed more and more with the inability to focus and pay attention.”

“Unfortunately, when a child has small jaw syndrome, instead of breathing through their nose and conveying a sense of well-being and peace to their brain, they breathe through their mouth, signaling to the brain that they are in a constant state of danger. This can result in a variety of problems,” said Dr. Leslie, who notes that if you studied indigenous tribes, you’d discover that they breastfeed their children longer, which develops the muscles of the airways, and the fact that they don’t eat processed foods, it strengthens the child’s jaws. That’s why in those types of cultures you typically do not see small jaws.

Although small jaw syndrome is widespread, the good news is that it can be treated. “We prescribe non-invasive, comfortable medical-grade silicon appliances that the child wears for one hour every day and overnight. We also recommend simple exercises that strengthen the muscles of the 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 from ages birth on up 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.

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