Airway-Focused Care for Children · Orland Park, IL

Does your child mouth-breathe, snore, or sleep restlessly?

These can be early signs that a child’s airway and jaw development deserve a closer look. An airway-focused evaluation with Dr. Erica helps you understand what’s going on — and what your options are.

Dr. Erica Zolnierczyk, DMD examining a pediatric patient in Orland Park

Request an airway evaluation

Tell us what you’re seeing. We’ll call you within 1 business day — usually sooner.

or reach us directly

📞 (708) 460-6699

Mon 8–5 · Tue–Thu 7–3 · Closed Fri–Sun

Could it be airway-related?

Signs parents notice

If any of these sound like your child, an airway-focused evaluation can help you understand whether they’re connected — and whether anything should be done.

Snoring or restless sleepSnoring, tossing, or never seeming fully rested in the morning.

Mouth breathing or open-mouth postureBreathing through the mouth day or night, lips apart at rest, or a long-faced, narrow look.

Bedwetting — with snoring or restless sleepBedwetting can be linked to disrupted nighttime breathing. Recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a possible sign of pediatric sleep-disordered breathing.

Trouble focusing or hyperactivityPoor sleep can show up in how a child acts during the day — sometimes mistaken for ADHD. The airway is one possible piece worth looking at.

Teeth grinding at nightGrinding or clenching during sleep.

Crowded teeth or narrow palateCrowding, a high or narrow palate, or a bite that seems off as adult teeth come in.

Recognize a few of these? Request an evaluation →

What to expect

What an airway evaluation looks like

A calm, unhurried visit. The evaluation is a conversation and an exam — nothing happens without your understanding and consent.

A pediatric patient having airway imaging taken in the KaVo cone beam CT scanner at Inspire Dental Wellness in Orland Park, IL

Listen & review

We talk through what you’ve noticed — sleep, breathing, feeding history, focus — and your concerns.

Airway-focused exam

Dr. Erica evaluates arch width, palate development, and how your child breathes — together, not in isolation.

Explain options

If something would help, she walks you through the options and coordinates care. If it’s outside our scope, she’ll tell you and point you to the right specialist.

Dr. Erica Zolnierczyk, DMD, airway-focused dentist in Orland Park

Why families travel for this

Airway-focused training beyond general dental school

Dr. Erica Zolnierczyk, DMD, trained in airway-focused orthodontics under Dr. Ed Lipskis at the Centre for Integrative Orthodontics — a year-long course in the expansion-and-arch-width approach to children’s airway and jaw development. It’s why she looks at the palate, the bite, and the airway as one connected picture.

DMD Airway-Focused Orthodontics — Centre for Integrative Orthodontics Trained under Dr. Ed Lipskis Preservation-first philosophy

A real case

What this can look like — one patient’s course of care (ages 9–11)

This is what airway-focused orthodontic growth guidance can look like over a two-year course of care, in one of Dr. Erica’s pediatric patients. Care began at age 9 and completed at age 11 — squarely inside the window the American Association of Orthodontists describes as the right time for an orthodontic evaluation. The family consented to share these images so other parents can see what the philosophy looks like in practice.

Color-mapped CBCT airway volume before treatment, 6.7 cc

BEFORE — airway volume 6.7 ccmin. cross-section 130.7 mm²

Color-mapped CBCT airway volume after treatment, 12.6 cc

AFTER — airway volume 12.6 ccmin. cross-section 234.4 mm²

One patient’s response to one treatment plan is not a guarantee of any other patient’s outcome — every case starts with a different airway, a different arch, and a different growth pattern. What follows is a description of what we measured, not a promise of what we deliver.

What we do — and what we don’t

Airway-focused care for children at IDW centers on evaluation, functional and expansion orthodontics, and appliances like Myobrace that support healthy breathing and jaw development. The goal is early, root-cause-aware care.

We are honest about scope. We screen for airway and sleep concerns and coordinate with your pediatrician and specialists — but we do not diagnose sleep apnea, run sleep studies, or fit CPAP. When something needs a sleep physician or another specialist, Dr. Erica will tell you and help you get there.

Common questions

What parents ask

Is my child too young for an airway evaluation?+

Often no — airway and jaw development can be looked at early, and early is when the most options are open. The evaluation itself commits you to nothing.

Do I need a referral?+

No referral needed. Many families come on their own; others are sent by a pediatrician, ENT, myofunctional therapist, or speech therapist. We’re happy to coordinate with your child’s care team.

Is this the same as treating sleep apnea?+

No. We evaluate the airway from a dental and developmental angle and screen for concerns. A sleep apnea diagnosis requires a sleep study read by a sleep physician — if that’s needed, we’ll help you get there.

What happens at the first visit?+

A conversation about what you’ve noticed, an airway-focused exam, and a plain-language walkthrough of what Dr. Erica sees and recommends. Nothing is decided without you.

Trust what you’re seeing. Get it evaluated.

If your child mouth-breathes, snores, or sleeps restlessly, an airway-focused evaluation can help you understand whether it’s connected — and what to do about it.

Request My Child’s Evaluation Call (708) 460-6699

The information on this page is educational and is not a diagnosis or medical advice. An airway evaluation is a dental assessment; it is not a diagnosis of sleep apnea or any sleep disorder, which requires evaluation by a qualified sleep physician. Individual needs and outcomes vary. Please consult appropriate healthcare providers about your child’s health. Inspire Dental Wellness · 14512 John Humphrey Drive, Orland Park, IL 60462 · (708) 460-6699

Inspirare. To breathe. To inspire.

This page describes services offered at Inspire Dental Wellness and is general information, not medical or dental advice. Dr. Erica Zolnierczyk, DMD, is a licensed general dentist in Illinois. She does not hold a dental specialty license and is not a pediatric dentist. Treatment recommendations are made only after an in-person examination, and individual results vary. For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.