What is Healthy Start?
The HealthyStart® System is a series of uniquely designed oral appliances that are worn for a few hours per day and/or during the night while a child sleeps. The system works with the natural forces of tooth eruption to gently guide the teeth into their perfect alignments. It also aids in the correct growth and alignment of the lower jaw, expanding the arches to ensure space for incoming permanent teeth.
HealthyStart® is an innovative, kid-friendly method introduced to help our patients obtain a straight and healthy smile. The appliances address a range of symptoms associated with Sleep Disordered Breathing, such as mouth breathing, inability to focus, academic challenges, bedwetting, snoring, nightmares, underdeveloped jaw, underdeveloped airway and more.
How It Works:
The Healthy Start System uses a series of soft, comfortable, and removable oral appliances that your child will wear when they sleep at night and for a short time during the day. Dr. Chang will work with you and your child to develop an individualized plan. Generally, Healthy Start consists of 3 principal stages (pictured to the left).
- Habit-Corrector (~1-5 months): This device can improve or eliminate habits that may be affecting your child’s oral development. Your child would wear it to sleep at night.
- Second Phase (~2-6 months): This next appliance will start to guide their teeth into the right spots. Your child would wear this appliance at night and a short time during the day.
- Final Phase: This phase will begin when your child has at least 4 permanent teeth. This final appliance will make sure their adult teeth will come in perfectly straight, preventing them from becoming crooked in the first place.
Desired Results
Using HealthyStart, we want to help your child achieve:
- Perfectly straight teeth WITHOUT braces, aligners, or surgery
- Prevent incoming teeth from becoming crooked in the first place
- Achieve results that will last their entire lifetime
- Straighten their smile without pain or discomfort
- Develop his/her jaw and mouth for a beautiful and healthy smile
- Correct breathing problems due to crooked teeth or an underdeveloped jaw
More on Sleep Disordered Breathing
Pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a general term for breathing difficulties during sleep. When a child experiences SDB, their body is not receiving adequate oxygen causing them to experience increased heart rate, blood pressure, and brain arousal. This can result in the child waking intermittently throughout the night.
Children who have prolonged Sleep Disordered Breathing (greater than 4-months) may suffer from significant decrease in their quality of life. Behavioral changes such as hyperactivity, loss of concentration and cognitive function have led to the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder in children. In addition, children who have prolonged SDB can have cognitive and learning disabilities which can extend into their teenage years. More than 80% of children who have documented and treated Sleep Disordered Breathing benefit from long term increases in cognitive ability, behavioral stabilization and more even temperament.
Learn More on Symptoms of SDB
Potential symptoms and consequences of untreated pediatric SDB may include:
- Snoring—The most obvious symptom of SDB is consistently loud snoring. The snoring can be interrupted by complete blockage of breathing, with gasping and snorting noises associated with waking up from sleep. Loud snoring can also become a significant social problem if a child shares a room with siblings, or at sleepovers and summer camp.
- Irritability—A child with SDB may become irritable, sleepy during the day, or have difficulty concentrating in school. He or she may also display busy or hyperactive behavior.
- Bedwetting—SDB can cause increased urine production at night, which may lead to bedwetting (also called enuresis).
- Learning difficulties—Children with SDB may become moody and disruptive, or not pay attention, both at home and at school. SDB can also be a contributing factor to attention deficit disorders in some children.
- Slow growth—Children with SDB may not produce enough growth hormone, resulting in abnormally slow growth and development.
- Cardiovascular difficulties—OSA can be associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, or other heart and lung problems.
- Obesity—SDB may cause the body to have increased resistance to insulin, and daytime fatigue can lead to decreased physical activity. These factors can contribute to obesity.