I have dealt with tongue ties and sleep-related issues my entire life. Growing up I dealt with constant nasal congestion, frequent colds, and mouth breathing, and as I got older I developed signs of sleep apnea which went undiagnosed for years. During my time in dental school, my sleep apnea had gotten so bad, I would wake up with headaches and would fall asleep in class sometimes. I remember feeling embarrassed and frustrated because I was trying so hard. I finally sought help when my wife was so worried for me watching me get so exhausted midday!
I got a sleep study done in 2019 and was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP since.
Then I started researching how to prevent what I suffer with for the young children I see every day. For children, proper growth, development, and sleep are crucial. Our tongue is a large muscle that can affect feeding, speech, and sleep if muscle function or mobility is lacking. Tongue ties prevent adequate tongue mobility. If our tongue doesn’t have adequate space to sit comfortably on the roof of the mouth, we are more likely to mouth breathe. Poor tongue posture and mouth breathing during the early years can definitely play a role in a child’s upper jaw (maxilla) and lower jaw (mandible) growth and development. I personally believe if I can catch underlying issues and environmental factors that affect the growth and development of a baby or child, I can help so many patients not go through some of the problems I dealt with until my 30s.
Sincerely,
Abhishek Bhaumik, DDS, MS
Board Certified Pediatric Dentist
