I stumbled upon Dr. Avis’ dental practice by chance, when I was referred to him after seeking treatment for my 7 year-old son, Michael’s, lisp. Little did I know that this encounter would change our lives. From the very beginning, it was evident that Dr. Avis was not just a dentist, but someone who would become an integral part of our family.
In my initial meeting to address Michael’s lisp, I was informed that he had significant warning signs of future health problems, from snoring and sleep apnea, which can lead to fatigue, drowsiness and inattentiveness in the short term and type 2 diabetes, strokes, heart attacks and even a shortened lifespan as he grew older. His face was also growing abnormally due to chronic mouth breathing. I left the meeting stunned and afraid that at 7 years old, it might already be too late to help him.
I then met with Dr. Avis and his team. He immediately eased my concerns because Michael was the perfect age for Orthotropics. We were lucky to have found him when we did. We began with a sleep study and Michael was found to have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. We scheduled surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids to have fewer obstructions in his airway for better breathing. We were also going to correct an undiagnosed lip and tongue tie. Dr. Avis informed me that this was a possible reason Michael had difficulty latching when he breast fed, and this made it difficult to close his lips to properly breathe through his nose. No doctor had ever noticed this or mentioned anything like this to me before. We also began myofunctional therapy with Jeannie to learn proper oral posture and tongue placement to breathe and swallow correctly.
Over the next few years, we spent a lot of time at Dr. Avis’ office. It was always such a positive experience. Because of the warm atmosphere, and personal attention, it felt like we were part of a family. We were all on the same team, cheering each other on in the hard work we were doing for my son’s health. I could not be more grateful for the experience of being a patient with Dr. Avis.
Michael’s treatment was a resounding success, with the resolving of his sleep apnea due to an open airway, an expanded palette with enough room for all of his teeth, and proper mouth posture and nose breathing techniques to prevent future health problems.
The treatment for Michael was so transformative that I found myself advocating for my daughter, whose issues were much milder than Michaels, but I felt would benefit from orthotropic treatment as well. Despite the fact that she was slightly outside the recommended age range, Dr. Avis listened to my concerns and agreed to treat her, with a treatment plan modified for her age.
Both of my children benefited from the orthotropic treatment provided by Dr. Avis and his team. But I couldn’t help but wish that the treatment we received was more mainstream, allowing for wider awareness and early intervention. I happened to meet Dr. Avis by chance, but the treatments he provided our family changed the course of my son’s health. This treatment shouldn’t just be for the lucky few who happen to meet him, medical professionals should be trained to see the warning signs of airway disorders and the treatment he provided to my family should be part of the mainstream treatment of care.
