5 Warning Signs of Airway Problems in Children Every Parent Should Know

If your child snores at night, you’re not alone. Parents bring this up in my office all the time — often with a smile, saying something like, “It’s kind of cute — they sound like a little grandpa!”

But here’s the truth: chronic snoring in children is never normal.

It’s one of the most important clues that your child might be struggling to breathe properly during sleep — and it’s one of the most common warning signs parents miss.

Hi, I’m Dr. Jeremy Manuele, Board Certified Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedist here in Las Vegas. At Hamilton & Manuele Orthodontics, we help kids and families every day understand how airway health connects to facial growth, jaw development, and overall well-being.

In this post, we’ll talk about the five biggest warning signs of airway problems in children — and why catching them early can make such a big difference in your child’s sleep, behavior, and long-term health.

Why Airway Health Matters in Kids

When a child struggles to get enough air through the nose, even slightly, their body adapts in ways that can affect how their face and jaws grow. They may breathe through the mouth more often, sleep restlessly, or develop a smaller upper jaw because the tongue can’t rest where it should.

That combination — poor sleep, low oxygen, and altered growth — doesn’t just affect smiles. It can influence behavior, focus, learning, and long-term health.

The good news? Once you know what to look for, the signs of pediatric airway issues are surprisingly easy to spot.

5 Warning Signs Parents Often Overlook

1. Snoring — The First Red Flag

If your child snores regularly, that’s an alarm bell.

Snoring means air is meeting resistance somewhere in the airway. In kids, warning signs often appear earlier and more subtly than in adults. The vibration you hear is the airway partially collapsing during sleep.

Even without obvious gasping, the brain may be waking them repeatedly to restore normal breathing — leading to:

• Restless, fragmented sleep
• Daytime fatigue or hyperactivity
• Difficulty focusing or learning
• Potential growth and development issues

Bottom line: Chronic snoring in kids is not normal — ever. If you’ve been told “they’ll grow out of it,” it’s worth getting an airway-focused evaluation or a second opinion from a provider who understands pediatric breathing and jaw development.

2. Mouth Breathing — Not Just a Habit

Chronic mouth breathing is one of the clearest indicators of airway dysfunction.

When a child breathes through the mouth instead of the nose:

• The tongue drops from the roof of the mouth.
• The upper jaw stops widening properly.
• The face tends to grow longer and narrower over time.

Nasal breathing, on the other hand:

• Helps stimulate healthy jaw and midface growth
• Supports proper tongue posture
• Promotes the production of nitric oxide, which supports blood vessel function and reduces inflammation

In airway-focused orthodontics, we work to restore and support nasal breathing by improving space inside the jaws and guiding early development — not just straightening teeth.

If your child often has parted lips, drools on the pillow, or sleeps with their mouth open, it’s worth an evaluation to understand what’s driving that pattern.

3. Restless Sleep, Tossing and Turning

Constant movement at night — kicking off blankets, flipping positions, waking often — can signal that the brain isn’t getting into deep, restorative sleep due to repeated airway interruptions.

Poor sleep quality can:

• Alter growth hormone release
• Lead to daytime crankiness or mood swings
• Show up as “hyper” behavior driven by adrenaline

If your child snores and is also restless or fidgety at night, that combination strongly points toward pediatric sleep-disordered breathing — and it’s something we take seriously during an airway evaluation.

4. Narrow Jaws and Crowded Teeth

The width of the upper jaw directly affects nasal airway size.

A narrow jaw raises the palate and reduces nasal volume, making nasal breathing harder — which encourages more mouth breathing. It becomes a self-reinforcing cycle.

Important tip for parents: Baby teeth should have spaces between them. If baby teeth look perfectly straight and tightly packed, it can signal a jaw that’s too small for incoming permanent teeth and may correlate with airway restriction.

During an exam at Hamilton & Manuele Orthodontics, we look beyond tooth alignment. We evaluate:

• Jaw width and shape
• Spacing between baby teeth
• Palate height and nasal space
• How these structures support healthy breathing

The goal is to address the foundation, not just the surface.

5. Behavioral or Attention Changes

Insufficient, fragmented sleep from airway issues can affect mood, focus, and school performance.

Many children with sleep-disordered breathing show signs that overlap with ADHD, such as:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Impulsivity or restlessness
• Irritability or emotional ups and downs
• “Wired and tired” behavior

Sometimes it’s not “behavior”; it’s biology.

After a night of disrupted sleep, a child’s brain is working overtime just to stay alert. We’ve seen kids misdiagnosed and medicated for years when the deeper issue was a narrow airway and chronic fatigue.

Early screening can be life-changing. As breathing and sleep improve, attention, mood, and overall well-being often improve too.

What Parents Can Do Next

If any of these signs sound familiar — snoring, mouth breathing, restless sleep, no spacing between baby teeth, or behavior changes — it’s time for an evaluation and airway screening.

At Hamilton & Manuele Orthodontics, we take a 3D approach. Using advanced imaging, we assess your child’s airway, jaw structure, and bite relationships — all at once. We’ll show you what’s happening, explain why, and map out clear next steps together.

Not local to Las Vegas? You can still work with us. Visit VegasOrthoDoc.com for secure online consultations. You can upload records, and I’ll personally review everything with you virtually.

Why Early Action Matters

The earlier we identify airway issues, the easier they usually are to correct.

Children’s bones are still growing, so we can often:

• Guide jaw growth in a healthier direction
• Widen the upper jaw to improve nasal airflow
• Support proper tongue posture and nasal breathing
• Reduce the risk of future crowding and relapse

Left untreated, airway problems can contribute to:

• Chronic fatigue and poor sleep quality
• Underdeveloped jaws and narrowed airways
• More complex orthodontic issues later
• Long-term health risks

With the right plan and timing, we help kids breathe, sleep, and grow the way they’re meant to.

The Bottom Line

Consistent snoring in children is not normal — and it’s worth investigating. When breathing improves, everything improves: sleep, focus, growth, and confidence.

If your child is showing any of these warning signs, don’t wait. Schedule an airway-focused orthodontic evaluation to get clear answers and a plan designed around your child’s health and growth.

Watch: Deep dive on pediatric airway warning signs.

Concerned about airway issues? Request an in-person evaluation in Las Vegas or upload records for a secure virtual consult so we can review everything together.