Business Spotlight: New Center For Children's Optimal Jaw and Airway Health Opens in Wexford

MyoWay Centers for Kids in Wexford is a myofunctional center dedicated to helping children from birth and older reach their full growing and breathing potential God intended, offering them a better quality of life. As a dentist with over 26 years of experience, Dr. Leslie Pasco, President of MyoWay Centers for Kids, has seen first-hand the profound impact that underdeveloped jaws and airways can have not only on a person’s smile but also on a person’s health. In the wake of COVID-19, while the world has focused on global pandemics, there’s a quieter global crisis affecting children’s health and behavior: underdeveloped jaws and airways. It’s alarming that ninety percent of young children exhibit signs and symptoms of this condition which can lead to serious sleep-related breathing disorders and a myriad of other health issues such as digestive disorders, learning problems, growth and posture issues, asthma, eczema and more. These problems persist into adulthood and can require aggressive treatment if not properly addressed. 

Throughout her career, Dr. Leslie treated countless patients of all ages and witnessed the prevalence of underdeveloped jaws and airways in today’s industrialized and fast-paced society. After retirement from clinical dentistry, this prompted her to shift her focus towards myofunctional therapy for children. Myofunctional therapy (MFT) is a therapy that helps treat abnormal patterns of muscle movement, posture and position in the face and mouth. MFT therapy targets the muscles in the face, mouth and airway to improve the function and strength, which can help with breathing, bite, and facial posture and appearance. The goal is clear: provide early intervention to help children grow right, breathe right and live better. 

Dr. Leslie’s passion led to the creation of MyoWay Centers for Kids, specializing in noninvasive myofunctional therapy aimed at supporting jaw growth and improving nasal breathing patterns in children. MyoWay Centers for Kids is unique in that it uses comfortable, medical-grade, FDA approved silicone appliances that children wear daily for up to one hour and overnight while sleeping to aid jaw development and promote nasal breathing. The appliances are paired with simple and fun exercises to strengthen the oral and airway muscles. The center works with children ages newborn and up. 

“Most parents think babies or children snoring is cute, but really snoring is an indicator a child isn’t breathing properly and should be evaluated for correction with simple myofunctional therapy techniques before any surgery or medications” says Dr. Leslie. While MyoWay Centers for Kids is a new facility, the underdevelopment of the jaws isn’t a new issue; it has been documented dating back to the early 1800s. Factors such as faster-paced living, soft processed foods, environmental pollutants and mouth breathing contribute to its prevalence. Mouth breathing, usually reserved for the lifesaving flight or fight response, signals the brain that the body is under stress and prepares the body to fight or run from a dangerous situation. But if a child is chronically mouthbreathing, whether it is during sleep, wakefulness or both, the child’s body is constantly operating under the stimulus of “stress” and “danger”, leading to stress induced conditions including signs and symptoms of ADHD. Many children may be improperly diagnosed, and the actual cause is going unnoticed.  In fact, recent studies show that altered sleep patterns and sleep apnea are common in children with persistent mouth breathing and such children also suffer from problems such as difficulty in sustaining attention in school, easy fatigability, lethargy and behavioral problems. These symptoms are similar to the symptoms in ADHD leading to the possible misdiagnosis of ADHD in children who breathe through their mouth more often than their nose. Literature also shows that children with breathing problems like snoring, mouth breathing or apnea are 40-100 times more likely to develop behavioral problems resembling ADHD which could often lead to a misdiagnosis.

Even one sign or symptom warrants an evaluation and evaluations at MyoWay Centers for Kids are always free. Early intervention is critical in a child’s growth and development and Dr. Leslie encourages parents and caregivers to seek an evaluation earlier, rather than later. Children are the future, and every child should be given the opportunity to grow right, breathe right and live better.