Healthy Start System - San Luis Obispo, CA

Who Needs the Healthy Start System

The Healthy Start System is perfect for little ones who:

• Have misaligned baby or permanent teeth
• Have permanent teeth that are coming in crooked or crowded
• Want to avoid getting braces
• Have an underdeveloped upper or lower jaw
• Have sleeping/breathing problems, which can include the following symptoms:
  • ADD/ADHD
  • Bedwetting
  • Snoring
  • Teeth Grinding
  • Restless Sleep / Nightmares
  • Daytime Drowsiness

How the Healthy Start System Helps

With the Healthy Start System, you can help your child:

• Get 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

Sleep Disordered Breathing

Dr. Forester discovered the Healthy Start system when searching for a way to help children across San Luis Obispo County with Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) issues. When a child’s breathing is disrupted during sleep, the body is not getting sufficient oxygen and the body reacts by sending a signal to the brain to wake up. The lack of deep and restful sleep can cause a wide range of behavioral and developmental problems, ranging from difficulty focusing in school to irritability or aggressive behavior to daytime drowsiness.

Sleep Disordered Breathing is often the result of an underdeveloped mouth and jaw, which causes the child’s nasal and upper airway to be constricted. The Healthy Start system helps guide the development of your child’s mouth as he/she grows, gently guiding the erupting teeth, jaw, and mouth into the ideal position. It also helps align the lower jaw, expanding the arches to reduce crowding so that permanent teeth come in straight and in the proper position.

How the Healthy Start System Works

So this all sounds fantastic, but the big question is, “How does it actually work?”

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. This Early Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment is designed to work with the natural forces of tooth eruption and gently guide the child’s teeth into their proper positions. These appliances can also be used to correct the alignment and size of their upper and lower jaw, making it much easier for their permanent teeth to erupt.

The Healthy Start System can be implemented for patients as young as 4 years old and is usually effective for children up to approximately age 12. After this age, the mouth has already substantially developed and traditional braces may be a better option if orthodontia is recommended.

The devices used in the Healthy Start System consist of:

• Habit-Corrector: 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. This initial phase usually lasts about 1-5 months.
• Second Phase: 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. This phase usually lasts about 2-6 months.
• 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.

Is the Healthy Start System Right For My Child?

If your child has any of the symptoms listed above, the Healthy Start System may be the perfect way to help them and prevent larger problems from developing in the future. Call our dental office today to schedule your complimentary information session and give your child the gift of a Healthy Start!