Functional Pediatric ENT Care

Does your child have ongoing sinus and upper airway problems that are affecting their day-to-day life? At Exhale Sinus, TMJ, Headache & Sleep, our Pediatric ENT division provides treatment for nasal obstruction and other common sinus issues emphasizing non-surgical management. These treatment approaches can help relieve your child’s symptoms, allowing them to breathe easily and reducing symptoms from conditions such as sleep apnea, teeth grinding, ADHD, speech delay, chronic cough, and recurring nasal & respiratory infections.

Offering pediatric sinus treatment with an emphasis on non- surgical management gives parents effective options to explore while also providing peace of mind. Our ENT specialists collaborate with other healthcare providers as needed to ensure comprehensive care for your child.

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Common Pediatric ENT Issues and Concerns

Has your child been struggling with frequent sinus infections or snoring? Or are they grinding their teeth at night? Several chronic sinus issues in children can cause these symptoms. Without care, these problems can affect your child’s daily activities, their overall health and well-being – and ultimately their facial development.

Our pediatric ENT team can evaluate your child to make a diagnosis that helps us determine the best treatment approach. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the most common ENT issues that we address at our facility.

Nasal Obstruction

Nasal obstruction can impact your child’s life in a few ways, making it harder to breathe comfortably or get a good night’s sleep. When left untreated, this can end up affecting not only their mood and behavior, but also creating facial changes that result in a more narrowed nasal airway which can leave them with a lifetime of sinus and nasal conditions.

Why do kids get nasal obstruction? This happens when something causes the nasal passages to become narrow or blocked, such as:

Thumb sucking which vaults the hard palate (thereby narrowing the nasal airway)
Tongue tie which limits the ability of the tongue to rest on the roof of the mouth, thereby causing a narrowed nasal airway
Recurring nasal infections (e.g., Colds) that keep the nasal lining swollen
Enlarged Adenoid tissue which can prevent normal airflow and disrupt normal nasal drainage making chronic infections of the nose, sinuses, and ears more likely
Allergies
Sinus infection
Structural or anatomical issues, such as a deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, or pyriform aperture stenosis (a narrow opening at the front of the nose)

How do you know if your child has nasal obstruction? Some common symptoms may include:

Trouble breathing through the nose
Tendency to breathe through the mouth
Frequent nasal or sinus infections
Snoring or sleep apnea
Bad breath
Chronic coughing
Restless sleep
Bedwetting
Recurring ear infections or chronic middle ear fluid

Our pediatric nasal congestion treatment focuses on pinpointing the exact cause of nasal obstruction and creating a treatment plan with an emphasis on identifying the cause with a goal for non-surgical management.

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Teeth Grinding, Clenching, and Bruxism

Have you noticed that your child grinds their teeth during sleep? Even if you haven’t, other symptoms may indicate that your child has this condition, known as bruxism. This happens when kids clench their jaw or grind their teeth, usually while they’re asleep or stressed. Potential causes may include stress and anxiety, however nasal obstruction is a too often unrecognized cause. This can contribute to sleep disorders, or dental problems, such as misaligned teeth.

How do teeth grinding or jaw clenching affect your child? They might experience headaches when they wake up from the pressure on their jaw joints. But that’s not the only problem that can occur. Children with bruxism are also at risk of developing dental problems, such as excess wear and tear on their teeth.

How can you tell if your child is dealing with bruxism? Some signs to watch for include the following:

Noticeable sounds when grinding teeth in their sleep
Sore jaw muscles, especially when they wake up
Frequent headaches, especially in the morning
Increased tooth sensitivity to cold and hot drinks and foods
Visible signs of worn tooth enamel, such as flattened surfaces

Bringing your child to Exhale Sinus, TMJ, Headache & Sleep for bruxism treatment can help prevent dental problems and other issues, improving their dental and whole-body health!

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Sleep Disruption, Snoring, and Sleep Apnea

Kids need a good night’s rest regularly for growth and development. Without it, they can suffer from mood issues, trouble with cognitive abilities, such as making decisions, and growth disruption. These problems can also affect their physical health. Sleep issues, like sleep apnea and snoring, are more common in children than you might think!

Does your child suffer from disrupted sleep? A few signs of this include:

Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night
Excessive sleepiness during the day or irritability
Frequently waking up during the night
Bedwetting after the age of 5
An inability to demonstrate age-appropriate attention or learning

Does your child snore? This may indicate that your child has an underlying problem that needs to be addressed, such as nasal or upper airway obstruction. Snoring in children is often a sign of sleep apnea — a more serious sleep disorder where kids have breathing interruptions or pauses while sleeping.

This condition can also cause excessive daytime sleepiness and irritability. Other signs include making gasping sounds while asleep due to interrupted breathing.

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ADHD and Its Connection to Sinuses and Nasal Obstruction

Did you know that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is linked to sinus problems and nasal obstruction? Recent studies have shown a connection between ADHD and chronic nasal obstruction that can affect your child’s quality of life. Our specialists at Exhale Sinus, TMJ, Headache & Sleep can determine if your child has any ENT-related conditions that may be contributing to ADHD symptoms.

Why Choose Exhale Sinus, TMJ, Headache & Sleep?

We understand that surgery may not provide the best (or only) solution for addressing pediatric conditions, such as sleep apnea or frequent sinus infections. Our team offers conservative yet thoughtful ENT treatment for kids instead, exploring a comprehensive range of non-surgical methods that are designed to find underlying cause.

Our ENT specialists aim to identify and treat the underlying causes of nasal and upper airway problems. Our goal is to provide a thorough and compassionate approach to your child’s healthcare using lifestyle changes, medication, and other non-surgical options.

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Investigating Underlying Causes

Finding the root causes of sinus symptoms helps our team provide the most effective care. In order to do that, we consider possible triggers for your child’s symptoms, such as:

Airborne allergies to dust, mold, pollen, or other allergens
Food sensitivities that can cause inflammation and affect upper airways
Nasal and upper airway blockages that may be contributing to bruxism
Narrowing of the pyriform aperture (the opening at the front of the nose)
Structural issues, such as enlarged adenoids or a deviated nasal septum

Comprehensive Evaluations

How do our ENT specialists pinpoint the exact cause of your child’s symptoms? We perform thorough evaluations to determine underlying causes. During these exams, we perform a physical examination and upper airway endoscopy that help us differentiate between structural or anatomical problems and inflammatory issues. We also check for potential masses that may be affecting the sinuses and upper airways.

Offering pediatric ENT care with a goal to avoid surgery means we come up with an individualized treatment plan based on their evaluation results. Your child’s plan might include oral medication or nasal sprays, recommendations for changes to their diet or sleep routine, or collaborative care to create a foundation for continued healthy growth. Our specialists openly communicate with you to make sure you stay well-informed about your child’s condition. We also thoroughly discuss proposed management strategies with you.

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Collaborative Care with Specialists

If needed, our ENT team works with a network of specialists to ensure your child receives comprehensive care. Depending on the condition we’re treating, we may include any of the following specialists:

Dentists who can help improve nasal breathing through expansion of a narrow palate
Allergists who can help with more complex allergy treatment
Speech therapists for help with correction of oral resting posture as well as speech or swallowing concerns linked to airway problems
Sleep specialists for sleep conditions arising from more complex causes
Chiropractors for a holistic approach that improves your child’s overall health
Myofunctional therapists to help assess for tongue mobility and its’ potential impact on the upper airway

With help from these specialists, our pediatric ENT experts are able to explore solutions for chronic nasal and sinus obstruction as well as the symptoms that arise from these conditions including upper respiratory infections, bruxism, ADHD, or sleep apnea.

Tailored Management Strategies

Working with a pediatric nasal and sinus doctor to address your child’s health often involves exploring various options. Our functional approach to optimization of the upper airway focuses on non-surgical solutions ranging from non-pharmaceutical approaches to pharmaceutical therapies, and include:

Lifestyle modifications or simple changes that help improve your child’s nasal health
Allergy management techniques to reduce allergen exposure
Medication to address your child’s symptoms and condition

We strive to treat each pediatric patient without surgery, but in some cases, this may not be the best solution. If appropriate, our specialists will either discuss surgical options we can perform in our office or refer a patient for surgery to the appropriate specialist.

Schedule an Appointment Today!

Are you looking for thoughtful pediatric ENT care focused on treating causes rather than symptoms? At Exhale Sinus, TMJ, Headache & Sleep, our team is ready to help you find effective options that bring your child relief from nasal or upper airway issues — and boost their quality of life! Contact us today to schedule an appointment with a pediatric sinus specialist in Schaumburg and Rockford, IL!