Does your child need their adenoids out?

As far back as I can remember, Mariah has been a mouth breather. She even kind of sounded nasally when she talked at times. I brought this up with her pediatrician a few times, but he just shrugged it off and said some kids are just mouth breathers. He never seemed concerned, so we weren’t very concerned either.

We took Mariah in for her dental appointment in December and were referred to an orthodontist because she has such a narrow pallet, she needs braces. The orthodontist took a look in her mouth and flat out told us he would not do any dental work until we had her adenoids looked at. He thought that her narrow pallet was a result of some kind of blockage causing Mariah to breathe through her mouth. Most of us breathe through our noses and since our mouths are closed most of the time, our tongue pushes up against the roof of our mouths, causing our pallets to expand. Since her mouth was open most of the day, her tongue wasn't press up, therefore causing her narrow pallet.

We were seen by the ear, nose, and throat doctor who confirmed that Mariah’s adenoids were so large, they were blocking 90% of her airway. We were told that the surgery would be minor, and since they aren’t like the tonsils and attached to muscle, it would be a quick outpatient procedure. Also, the pain would be minimal afterwards, and most people get by with just a few Tylenol!

We scheduled the surgery, and last Wednesday, she had them removed. From start to finish, we were only at the hospital for 5 hours. Other than being tired, she handled it pretty well, and as told, the pain was so minimal, we didn’t fill the prescription pain medicine. She got by on a few doses of children’s Tylenol.

If her pediatrician had caught this years ago, we might not have had to start the process of braces, which are going to be very costly. Needless to say, we have switched doctors.

If you notice your child is breathing through their mouth more than normal, sounds nasally, or chew with their mouths open a lot, it’s worth trip to the Otolaryngologist. This could save you from other problems down the road.

See, it couldn't have been too bad if she is leaving with a smile on her face :)