Sleep Struggles: How a Pediatric Dentist Can Help Your Child Sleep Better

When 5-year-old Sofia's parents brought her to Urbana Pediatric Dentistry, they weren't initially concerned about her teeth. They were exhausted. Sofia had been waking up multiple times each night for months, grinding her teeth so loudly it could be heard from the hallway, and her kindergarten teacher had begun expressing concerns about her difficulty focusing and frequent emotional outbursts.

"We tried everything," her mom shared during our consultation. "Earlier bedtimes, blackout curtains, even melatonin. Nothing worked. She'd fall asleep easily but never seemed to get restful sleep."

What Sofia's parents discovered that day changed not just her sleep, but her entire family's quality of life.

The Hidden Connection Between Oral Health and Sleep

As parents, we naturally think of sleep challenges as behavioral issues, something to solve with better bedtime routines, reduced screen time, or perhaps sleep aids. But what many families don't realize is that pediatric sleep struggles often have anatomical and functional roots that show up first in the mouth.

At Urbana Pediatric Dentistry, we're trained to look beyond teeth. As a board-certified pediatric dentist with advanced training in airway-focused care, I evaluate how your child's oral and facial development affects their sleep, focus, and behavior. The signs of sleep-disordered breathing or airway dysfunction frequently appear in the oral cavity long before a medical diagnosis is made.

Sofia's story illustrates this perfectly. During her examination, I immediately noticed several telltale signs: her tongue rested low in her mouth instead of against her palate, she had a narrow upper jaw, and her parents confirmed she was a chronic mouth breather. These seemingly minor details were actually major clues to understanding her sleep struggles.

Understanding Pediatric Sleep Struggles: The Underlying Causes

Sleep issues in children often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, leaving families struggling with:

Nighttime Symptoms:

• Restless, fragmented sleep

• Loud snoring or noisy breathing

• Mouth breathing during sleep

• Teeth grinding (bruxism)

• Frequent waking or night terrors

• Bedwetting beyond typical age

Daytime Consequences:

• Chronic fatigue despite appearing to sleep through the night

• Behavioral challenges like irritability or hyperactivity

• Difficulty concentrating or following directions

• Academic struggles despite normal intelligence

• Emotional dysregulation and frequent meltdowns

What connects these seemingly unrelated symptoms? Often, it's a compromised airway combined with orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs) that prevent children from achieving the deep, restorative sleep their developing brains and bodies desperately need.

Understanding Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders and Sleep

An OMD affects how the muscles of the face, mouth, and throat function together. These disorders frequently contribute to sleep problems through several mechanisms:

Tongue Positioning Issues: When the tongue rests low in the mouth instead of against the palate, it can obstruct the airway during sleep. This is often related to restricted oral tissues (tongue-ties) or underdeveloped jaw structure.

Chronic Mouth Breathing: Children who habitually breathe through their mouth—often due to nasal congestion, enlarged tonsils, or muscle dysfunction—experience disrupted sleep architecture and reduced oxygen efficiency.

Improper Swallowing Patterns: Tongue thrusting and other dysfunctional swallowing patterns can indicate broader muscle coordination issues that affect nighttime breathing.

Structural Limitations: A narrow palate, retruded lower jaw, or other developmental concerns can physically restrict airway space, especially when lying flat.

As we explored in our comprehensive guide to how myofunctional therapy can improve your child's health, these issues are interconnected and often respond well to early intervention.

How We Identify Pediatric Sleep Struggles During Dental Visits

During Sofia's evaluation, I assessed multiple factors that directly impact sleep quality—many of which are easily overlooked by other providers:

Airway Assessment

I examine tongue posture, nasal breathing patterns, and overall oral-facial development. The tongue should naturally rest against the palate, which promotes proper jaw growth and supports an open airway. When the tongue lies low or is restricted by a tie, it can contribute to breathing difficulties during sleep.

Structural Evaluation

A narrow upper jaw or an underdeveloped lower jaw can crowd the tongue and compromise airway space. We evaluate facial growth patterns and jaw development as integral parts of our comprehensive examination.

Sleep and Behavioral History

We ask detailed questions about sleep habits, energy levels, attention span, and daytime behaviors. Many children later diagnosed with ADHD are actually struggling with chronic sleep deprivation due to undiagnosed breathing issues—a connection we explored thoroughly in our article on the surprising link between mouth breathing and behavior problems.

Physical Signs

We look for enlarged tonsils, restricted tongue or lip ties, teeth grinding wear patterns, and postural changes that suggest breathing difficulties. These signs often appear months or years before families seek sleep-specific medical care.

Sofia's Transformation: A Sleep Success Story

Sofia's comprehensive evaluation revealed a complex picture: she had a mild tongue-tie restricting her tongue mobility, a narrow upper palate limiting her nasal breathing, and had developed compensatory mouth breathing patterns that were disrupting her sleep.

Rather than simply addressing her dental development, we took a holistic approach. Sofia began myofunctional therapy for crowded teeth to retrain her oral muscles and promote nasal breathing. We also recommended consultation with an ENT specialist to evaluate her enlarged adenoids.

The transformation was remarkable. Within six weeks of starting therapy:

• Sofia's teeth grinding decreased significantly

• She began sleeping through the night consistently

• Her kindergarten teacher noted improved focus and fewer behavioral incidents

• Her parents reported she was waking up refreshed and happy

"It's like we got our daughter back," Sofia's mom told me at her follow-up appointment. "We never imagined that addressing her mouth breathing would solve our sleep problems, but here we are—finally getting the rest our whole family needed."

Similar success stories, like Lucas's journey from snoring to smiling, demonstrate how addressing underlying oral-facial issues can transform not just sleep, but a child's entire quality of life.

Comprehensive Solutions for Better Sleep

Depending on what we discover during your child's airway-focused evaluation, we may recommend:

Immediate Interventions:

• Myofunctional therapy to retrain breathing and swallowing patterns

• Tongue or lip-tie release (frenectomy) to improve oral function

• Breathing retraining and nasal hygiene strategies

Collaborative Care:

• ENT referral for tonsil/adenoid evaluation

• Sleep medicine consultation for comprehensive assessment

• Coordination with speech therapists or myofunctional specialists

Developmental Support:

• Palatal expansion to create more airway space

• Early orthodontic intervention to guide proper jaw growth

• Nutritional guidance to reduce inflammation and support healthy development

Our goal extends beyond treating symptoms, we address root causes so your child can breathe easily, sleep deeply, and thrive in all areas of life.

Why Sleep Matters for Your Child's Development

Quality sleep isn't just about rest, it's when children do most of their physical and cognitive development. Poor sleep directly impacts:

• Physical Growth: Growth hormone production peaks during deep sleep stages

• Brain Development: Memory consolidation and neural pathway formation occur primarily during rest

• Immune Function: Sleep supports the body's ability to fight infection and maintain health 

• Emotional Regulation: Well-rested children manage emotions, stress, and social interactions more effectively

• Academic Performance: Attention, learning, and behavioral control all depend on adequate sleep

When we support your child's oral and airway development, we're investing in their success at school, their physical growth, and their emotional well-being.

Beyond Dentistry: Your Child's Complete Wellness Team

At Urbana Pediatric Dentistry, our mission centers on seeing the whole child, not just their teeth. If your child struggles with sleep issues, behavioral challenges, or academic difficulties, and traditional approaches haven't provided clear answers, their oral health may be playing a crucial role.

We work collaboratively with pediatricians, ENT specialists, sleep medicine physicians, and other healthcare providers to ensure your child receives comprehensive care. This team approach has helped hundreds of local families discover solutions they never knew existed.

Take the First Step Toward Better Sleep

Great sleep begins with a healthy airway, and healthy airways start with proper oral-facial development. If you recognize your child in Sofia's story, or in any of the symptoms we've discussed - don't wait for the problems to resolve on their own.

Sleep issues in children rarely improve without addressing their underlying causes. The earlier we intervene, the more we can support your child's natural growth and development rather than trying to correct problems later.

Schedule a comprehensive airway and sleep evaluation with our team at Urbana Pediatric Dentistry. We'll assess not just your child's dental health, but their breathing patterns, sleep quality, and overall oral-facial development. Together, we can determine if myofunctional therapy, structural interventions, or other treatments might help your child achieve the restful sleep they need to thrive.

Remember, behind every healthy smile is a well-rested child, and behind every well-rested child is often a properly functioning airway.

Dr. Dina Chehab is a board-certified pediatric dentist with advanced training in airway-focused care and sleep-related breathing disorders. She leads Urbana Pediatric Dentistry with a commitment to treating the whole child and supporting families through comprehensive, compassionate care.

Related reading:

• How Myofunctional Therapy Can Improve Your Child's Health

• The Surprising Link Between Mouth Breathing and Behavior Problems in Kids

• From Snoring to Smiling: One Child's Journey Through Myofunctional Therapy

• Myofunctional Therapy for Crowded Teeth

Follow Us:

• Instagram: @urbanapediatricdentistry

• Facebook: @urbanapediatricdentistry

FAQ Section

Q: What are common sleeping problems with children? 

A: The most frequent sleep issues we see include loud snoring, restless or fragmented sleep, frequent night waking, teeth grinding (bruxism), bedwetting beyond typical age, difficulty falling asleep, and chronic mouth breathing during sleep. Many children also experience night terrors, sleepwalking, or early morning awakening. These problems often stem from airway restrictions, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, or orofacial muscle dysfunction rather than behavioral causes.

Q: What are the symptoms of pediatric sleep disorders? 

A: Sleep disorders in children present through both nighttime and daytime symptoms. Nighttime signs include snoring, gasping or choking sounds, restless sleep, frequent position changes, and mouth breathing. Daytime symptoms often include chronic fatigue despite appearing to sleep through the night, difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity or behavioral outbursts, morning headaches, and academic struggles. Physical signs we observe include dark circles under the eyes, forward head posture, and dental wear patterns from grinding.

Q: Why is my child struggling to sleep at night? 

A: Sleep struggles often result from anatomical and functional issues that affect breathing. Common causes include tongue-ties that restrict proper tongue positioning, narrow airways due to underdeveloped jaw structure, enlarged tonsils or adenoids blocking nasal passages, chronic allergies causing congestion, and orofacial muscle dysfunction leading to mouth breathing. These physical barriers prevent children from achieving deep, restorative sleep cycles essential for growth and development.

Q: How do you treat sleep disorder in children? 

A: Treatment depends on the underlying cause, but our approach typically includes myofunctional therapy to retrain breathing and swallowing patterns, addressing tongue or lip ties through frenectomy procedures when needed, and collaborating with ENT specialists for tonsil or adenoid evaluation. We may also recommend palatal expansion to create more airway space, early orthodontic intervention to guide proper jaw growth, and breathing retraining techniques. Our goal is addressing root causes rather than just managing symptoms.

Q: How quickly can sleep improvements be seen after addressing oral-facial issues? 

A: Many families notice subtle changes within 2-4 weeks, with significant improvements typically occurring within 2-3 months of consistent treatment. However, every child's timeline is different based on their specific needs and compliance with therapy.

Q: At what age should I be concerned about my child's sleep patterns? 

A: While sleep patterns vary by age, persistent snoring, mouth breathing, frequent waking, or daytime behavioral issues at any age warrant evaluation. We can assess children as young as 12 months for oral-facial development concerns.

Q: Will insurance cover treatments for sleep-related oral health issues? 

A: Coverage varies by plan and specific treatment. Many therapies may be covered when linked to medical conditions like sleep-disordered breathing. We help families navigate insurance questions and connect with covered providers when possible.