Symptoms like loud snoring can be worrying for anyone but even more concerning when the snorer is a young child that is unable to communicate their experiences. To help you find the right solutions for your child, Smile Reef can offer some insight if your teenager is snoring, or your infant or newborn is snoring.
Causes of Snoring
A general term to describe breathing difficulties during sleep is pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) when children snore. There are quite a few potential causes behind children snoring, the most common examples include:
1) Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: due to narrow or blocked airways, there is lack of oxygen
2) Allergies: outdoor seasonal allergies or indoor allergies such as pet dander, dust/ mold
3) Enlarged Adenoids & Tonsils
4) Dental Conditions Blocking the Airways: crooked teeth, crowded teeth, or narrow palates
Enlarged tonsils can also cause snoring, and the most common cause of disordered breathing during sleep. Making it more difficult to breathe during sleep, swollen or infected adenoids (glands located in the back of the nasal cavity) can block the airways.
Should I Worry if My Baby has Heavy Breathing or is Snoring?
In order to determine whether it’s a cause for concern it is important to diagnose the cause behind snoring.
Newborn / Infant Snoring. It is normal for your newborn makes light noisy breathing sounds. It can cause them to make noises while sleeping, newborns have smaller nasal passages. This can cause noisy breathing especially if they have a little extra mucus or dryness. If you’re concerned about your newborn snoring, please reach out to your pediatrician.
Children Snoring. It is also normal for children to have light snoring. However, it’s important that you visit your pediatrician as soon as possible if you notice your child snoring loudly with lapses in breathing during sleep. It’s crucial to get this condition diagnosed and treated as soon as possible since sleep apnea is a dangerous disorder that restricts oxygen to the brain.
Other – Other contributing health conditions, like allergies, asthma or enlarged tonsils should also be ruled out. To ensure that there aren’t other conditions at play, visiting your pediatrician can help. Please let us know during their next dental check-up if you notice your child snoring. In order to help determine whether their teeth or palate is contributing to their snoring we will examine their dental alignment.
Is it Normal for a Teenager to Snore?
A health condition like sleep apnea or allergies or enlarged tonsils or adenomas as well as a dental misalignment might be indicated with teenagers snoring. Visit your pediatrician or an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist if tonsils are the suspected cause to rule out health conditions.
Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea
It should be taken seriously since pediatric sleep apnea is dangerous. During sleep, your child’s breathing is partially or completely blocked repeatedly. Sleep apnea can lead to daytime sleepiness, poor performance in school, inability to concentrate, learning difficulties, hyperactivity and behavioral problems because this disorder disrupts sleep regularly throughout the night. In order to find the right solution, pediatric obstructive sleep apnea should be brought to your pediatrician’s attention as well as your child’s dentist. Orthodontics may also be an effective treatment option.
Pediatric Dentistry
If you have concerns about your child’s snoring habits, please discuss it with us when you schedule with Smile Reef in the Las Vegas Valley.
