Oh My! It's May!

This year is just flying by! Does anyone else feel the same way?

A lot happened in April, so let me give you some major updates:

CAFF + My Podcast Episode

I've been excited about the Children's Airway First Foundation (CAFF) since I first heard about them, about 3 years ago. Many organizations within the airway dentistry/airway health community offer training or education to doctors or various medical professionals. CAFF and FFAH (Foundation for Airway Health) are some of the few with a primary focus on providing education and resources for parents, making them important allies for my cause!

Their podcast is listed as a recommended resource on my website, and in April I had the privilege to be a guest speaker! It was great having the opportunity to explain more about myself and the services that I provide to support parents.

Listen to the interview, but don't stop there! One of my other favorite parts about CAFF is their blog. For example, check out this blog article: "The Impact of Bad Posture on Your Child's Health."

Posture support in the form of GoPex (Good Oral Posture Exercises)

If the blog article above piqued your interest, one of the most amazing programs available for posture improvements is the GoPex program. You can order the GoPex book to try at home for a DIY approach. For an interactive and professionally guided experience, Dr. Jenny Hobson of the Hobson Institute offers a 3-month virtual program. While the name implies the benefits for oral posture, the program does focus on overall body posture improvements too.

The Airway Dentistry Parent P.L.A.N. Online Course - Grand Opening Bundle and Bonus Resources

My online course is finally available to purchase and I'll be launching a public social media campaign in the coming days! When you purchase the online course before June 1st, you will be eligible for 50% off an initial one-on-one virtual consultation with me. That's $70 in savings as my way to say thank you for your early participation.

The GoPex program featured above is one of over 75 special links included in a bonus supporting document called the Aim & Assess Addendum. This is a really great opportunity for the parents who are just starting out in the airway health "rabbit hole" and want a more structured way to be brought up to speed on problem origins, potential solutions, and what steps to take next. I hope you like it!

Cavities: missing puzzle pieces

I never liked it when I had to tell a patient they had a cavity, and that only became harder when I was working in a biological dental office where many of my patients made considerable efforts to prioritize their health. Some people would be puzzled as to how or why they were getting cavities. They claimed to eat low-sugar foods and practice good oral hygiene, yet cavities were present. What else could be contributing?

My boss and I began to take note of some trends that I had not noticed before. Two conditions started to be more on my radar for consideration when we simply could not find a missing puzzle piece. The first was gluten sensitivity. I'm not talking about just one cavity. This was typically a relatively younger individual with a mouth full of cavities. On a few occasions, a patient reported back to us a confirmed gluten sensitivity after they continued their journey to look for answers. Mind you it was an anecdotal correlation, not necessarily scientifically tested causation.

One other condition that began to come up was Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. This is a connective tissue disorder typically noticed in patients with hypermobility of joints in their body (meaning a person often identifies as being extra flexible or bendy). I don't necessarily focus on cavities these days as much as I used to. There are still certain conditions like lip ties, tongue ties, and also Ehlers-Danlos syndrome that simultaneously increase cavity risk and may be negatively influencing oral function and facial development. I created a post about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome for Instagram, so I wanted to share it here. My goal is to increase awareness of certain conditions so that if you're one of the parents looking for the missing puzzle piece, you can decide if this sounds like a relevant thread to follow in your own explorations.

That's all for this month. Thank you for being here with me!

Until next time,

Dr. Julia