The Ultimate Guide to Airway & Jaw Development for Children

Alex Kelly
May 24, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Oct 3, 2024

Understanding the early years of your child’s life is very important for their growth and development. By age 2, 53% of the upper and lower jaw growth has occurred, and 80% of the size of the skull has developed, with the other 20% developing from age 2-17.

The remaining growth of the jaws and skull after age 2 is crucial and can mean the difference of a life of health and vitality, or a life wrought with illness and chronic disease. Airway growth continues after birth with diameter and length doubling or tripling until adulthood. As children advance through a sequence of growth stages, proper nasal-breathing, and tongue function is crucial for airway/jaw development and overall health. Normal, fully developed jaws will allow an anatomical structural form that can support a full set of teeth with no crowding or crookedness, no TMJ problems, a healthy oral airway, proper tongue space and an ideal craniofacial foundation for your child to thrive. This is where optimal health begins and these conditions perpetuate excellent health.

Unfortunately, due to soft diets, processed food, pollution, allergies, and other epigenetic factors, normal jaw growth is not very common today. Alarmingly, abnormal growth leading to underdeveloped jaws has become the norm. A mouth that is structurally impaired can result in mouth breathing, malocclusions and sleep breathing disorders resulting in poor health.

SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING

Research has discovered that many of the following problems may only be symptoms of a Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder (SDB), which stems from a very correctable deformity and dysfunction in the child’s oral and facial structure.

ADD/ADHD
Bed Wetting
Delayed Speech
Overweight/Obesity
Learning Difficulties
Vertigo/Clumsiness
Restless Legs
Aggression/Defiance
Teeth Grinding
Snoring
Mouth Breathing
Daytime Sleepiness
Nightmares/Night Terrors
Allergies/Asthma
Anxiety
Frequent Illness
Stunted Growth
Crooked Teeth
Swollen Tonsils/Adenoids
Forward Head Posture
Recessed/Stunted Chin
Dark Circles Under the Eyes

The good news is that all the above symptoms can be successfully treated. Recognition and comprehensive evaluation of jaw growth issues, and resulting airway/sleep breathing problems early on, is crucial in order to correct these developmental abnormalities and redirect growth for optimal function, comfort, health and beauty.

One of the top root causes of SDB is the tongue.

If the tongue is not functioning properly it can affect the child’s face and jaw development, and block or shrink the child’s airway. Airflow to the lungs is then limited, and oxygen does not flow freely to the brain and body.

By 2 years old 80% of a child’s brain cell connections are formed, so this drop in oxygen can significantly stunt the growth and development of the brain - causing a child’s final IQ score to be reduced by as much as 10-15 points.

Children Aren’t Chewing.

Ever since the Industrial Revolution people, especially children, just aren’t chewing the way they use to. With the development of soft baby foods, pouches, chicken nuggets, etc., we are seeing a weakening of children’s tongues and jawbones.

Soft foods are “pre-chewed,” which causes the child to simply place the food in their mouth and swallow. There is no pressure put on the jawbone which tricks it into thinking it is not needed, therefore stunting its growth.

As for the tongue, it is weakened because it is not being exercised by positioning food for chewing. Through this process the jawbone and tongue can shrink, while the rest of the head continues to grow - which can then close off the child’s airway.

Daily Sucking on Objects

When a child sucks on a thumb, pacifier or bottle their cheeks and lips are pulled in, which forces the upper gums inward. The tongue pushes the object into the roof of the mouth, which then pushes up against the nasal airways. The sides of the tongue are also being forced outward against the lower gums and pushing them apart.

What About Breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding may appear as sucking, just like with a pacifier or bottle - but this is not the case. When a child breastfeeds their tongue pushes the nipple up against the roof of their mouth, causing the milk to be pressed out rather than sucked out. As they continue to apply pressure, the tongue pushes outwards. This repetitive motion causes the tongue to resist the inward pressure of the cheeks and lips in order to protect the nasal airways.

Improper Tongue Placement

The tongue should rest up in the roof of the mouth. By resting in the roof, each time the cheeks and lips squeeze it pushes outward promoting head growth and upper palate expansion. If the tongue rests below, then it causes the child to develop a “tongue thrust.”

There are a few reasons why the tongue may not rest in the roof of the mouth:

the tongue and jaw may be too weak
the tongue may be restricted by a tongue tie

Click here to learn about some easy things you can do at home to promote proper jaw development.

SDB RESOURCES & RESEARCH:

RESEARCH - coming soon

BOOKS - coming soon

MORE RESOURCES

Pediatric Sleep & Breathing Case Studies: The Breathe Institute with Dr. Soroush Zaghi

TONGUE LIP/TIES

Did you know in many countries it’s a national law that every child be examined for a tongue-tie? Tongue-ties can lead to neck and back pain, headaches, teeth grinding, speech, digestive problems, crooked teeth, snoring, sleep apnea, and other issues.

A tongue tie is simply tethered oral tissues (frenulum). While everyone has a frenulum, some are unusually short, thick, and/or tight which can result in many health risks if left untreated.

Tongue ties cause the development of a high, narrow roof of mouth, with the nasal area following suit causing airway restrictions and mouth breathing.

The earlier a tongue tie is identified and treated the better. In infants, tongue ties can results in feeding issues and overall face, mouth, and airway development. If a tongue tie is detected, a frenectomy can be done right here in the office to release the tie. It is a relatively simple outpatient procedure.

It is important to find a provider that has been properly trained and educated, as there is a ton of misinformation out there about tongue/lip ties which has led to an ABUNDANCE of misdiagnosing (on BOTH sides: ties diagnosed when not actually present, and ties not diagnosed when they are present) and mistrust - which is TOTALLY understandable!!! Providers (dentists, pediatricians, ENTs, IBCLCs etc.) do not have to have any sort of specific training in order to diagnose and release ties. This is a problem, especially as more and more research in coming out about the importance. Click HERE to learn more about what to look for in a tongue/lip tie provider. Many times breastfeeding issues can be resolved with IBCLC work and body work to release tension. A tongue tie provider should always recommend, if not require these, before even considering a release!!!

TONGUE TIE RESOURCES & RESEARCH:

RESEARCH