I didn't know what a Toothpillow was a year and a half ago, and now we can't go a day without it in our house! I have two little ones, now 6 and 7, that are currently using a Toothpillow to counteract mouth breathing, underbite (for 1), overbite (for the another!), and some enlarged tonsils for one of them. They have been using them for over a year, and just based on the monthly progress pictures, there is a definite shift in the positioning of their teeth, not to mention the noticeable difference in breathing patterns and sleep efficiency. Below, I am going to share all about our experience thus far, and what it actually takes to be successful while using the Toothpillow.
(If you are currently on the fence about whether or not your child needs it or if you would like to commit to the program, I wrote this for you! You can also use code "MEGAN" when filling out your free evaluation for who referred you, and Toothpillow will give you a free video consultation and $200 off when signing up for the 2-year program!)
Table of Contents
What is a Toothpillow?
In basic terms, it's a retainer of sorts. Although, it is technically called a "guide" that is supposed to help guide your teeth in the right direction, and help kids learn proper tongue placement. While doing this, it also improves nasal breathing and all of the side effects that come with it. As well as, it can actually change the shape of your child's face (think of jaw placement in the side profile).
Depending on the needs of your child, there are different guides that will be suggested. For example, one of my children had a little bit of an underbite, while the other had a little bit of an overbite, and they both got Toothpillows, but each got a different type.
How does the Toothpillow Program Work?
When you sign up for the Toothpillow program, you are making an at least 2-year commitment. You are committing to having your child wear their guide each night while they sleep, as well as for an hour each day (while they are awake). They also recommend doing myofunctional therapy throughout to help learn the proper habits to keep up with proper tongue and teeth placement for years to come.
Also, you will be asked to upload monthly progress photos and a detailed photo reel to the Toothpillow app every three months. This portion of it takes minutes per month and is not a real time commitment that you need to worry about. After you submit your 3-month progress photos, your dentist that is assigned to monitor your child's progress will check in with you regarding your child's progress since the last 3-month check-in.
How long does it take for the Toothpillow to start working?
It all depends on the child and how committed they are to using their guide, and how severe the issue is that they are trying to come back from.
With my children specifically, I would say the 8-month mark was around the time that I really started noticing a difference with both, not only in the front teeth, but with the side teeth as well.
Do they customize the Toothpillow guide to each child's mouth?
No, they do not. There is more than one guide option, but depending on your issue and the size of your mouth, you will get a generic one-size-fits-all for that issue guide. There is no forming of the guide to the children's teeth or anything like that.
Since one of my kids has an underbite and the other has an overbite, they each got different sized and shaped guides. Then, once one of them starting to grow in their first set of permanent molars in the back, they got a bigger-sized guide.
Why is Myofunctional Therapy recommended as part of the Toothpillow Program?
How do I know if my child needs a Toothpillow and/or would benefit from this program?
Your child might be a good candidate for the Toothpillow program if your child experiences any of the following (it can be one symptom, or most likely a mixture of some of them):
- Picky eating
- Speech Issues
- Mouth breathing
- ADD/ADHD
- Crooked Teeth
- Night Terrors
- Persistent Cavities
- Ear infections
- Large tonsils/adenoids
- Bedwetting
- Snoring
- Grinding/Clenching
- Sleep apnea
- Digestion issues
- Headaches
All of the symptoms above in bold were experienced either with one or both of my children. They didn't exhibit all of the symptoms, but when you have tried a lot of other things that didn't work, and then start learning that there might be one common theme between them all, it's frustrating that you didn't know about it before, but empowering that this might be what helps to solve all of those problems for your child.
Should my child get a Toothpillow or just wait to get braces?
The idea with the Toothpillow program is that it is supposed to help when the jaw and teeth are young and can be a lot more easily influenced, as well as help with breathing, sleeping, speech issues, posture, widening of the palate, etc. If you wait for braces, you will just be attempting to correct something that could have been prevented by using the Toothpillow.
Our Experience with the Toothpillow Program
Both of my children have been doing the Toothpillow program for 13 months, as of the date of originally posting this (although, I will continue to update this post as we go).
Our path was a little bit different with how we got started. First, we found a myofunctional speech therapist to help with some speech issues that we had been working on with a traditional speech therapist, and she really turned our speech issues around for us. And, during her initial evaluation of the mouth and tongue and palate areas, she made some notes, and later suggested seeing a biological dentist in the area. So, off we went! And, instead of doing a free online consultation (like you can do with my link!), I paid for the full scan to see the airway of both of my children to see how it's doing and what (if anything) would need to be done. After the scan and the hands on evaluation, the biological dentist suggested that we get a Toothpillow for both children, one dealing with a slight underbite, and the other with a slight overbite. Once analyzing all of their behavior that I never considered to be that serious of an issue, they both were mouth breathers in the night, one of them snored and did have issues with night terrors when they were younger, one of them did have speech issues, one of them would wake up grinding their teeth some nights, and they both suffered from ear infections and large tonsils (although, one of them was able to fix this by going on a gluten free diet). Thus, off we went to start our Toothpillow journey!
For the sake of analyzing the experience of two different children trying to combat different issues, I am going to separate their stories.
Child #1:
How it Started:
- Mouth breathing - My oldest started out mouth breathing at night (sometimes during the day, but not that noticeable)
- Tongue thrust - She had the tongue thrust where the tongue was pushing on the top teeth
- Underbite - She had a little bit of an underbite
- Ear infections - She got ear infections often (like she would usually skip the illness and just get the ear infection)
- Enlarged tonsils - She had enlarged tonsils for the 6 months prior to starting the Toothpillow program (it could've been longer, but that was just when we noticed them and started monitoring them).
How it's Going:
- Mouth breathing - After 13 months of using the Toothpillow, I am happy to report that she has been sleeping all night with the Toothpillow in, so although her mouth might open due to the size of the guide, she is breathing through her nose while sleeping.
- Tongue thrust - Between the practice of wearing the guide and doing the myofunctional exercises, her tongue thrust has subdued quite a bit (it hasn't disappeared completely, but she's a lot more aware).
- Underbite - The alignment of her teeth is moving quite a bit too to decrease the size of the underbite, but it's also too quick to notice too much because she's lost a bunch of teeth in the past year and we are slowly waiting and observing how her grown up teeth are coming in.
- Ear infections - They have improved drastically. Once she complains about her ear hurting, I have her do 20 minutes of red light over her ear, then put in a few homeopathic drops if she's up for it, and she hasn't had an ear infection last for more than 3 hours in months!
- Enlarged tonsils - This is one thing we are really still waiting on. They have decreased a bit in size, but still fluctuate and one of them has still stayed pretty consistently large.
Child #2:
How it Started:
- Speech issues - My son had speech issues for years. However, by the time we were sent to get evaluated for the Toothpillow program, we had already resolved that issue via the help of a myofunctional speech therapist (and lots and lots of tongue and mouth exercises)!
- Mouth breathing - He would breathe through his mouth both during the day (audibly) and while sleeping.
- Overbite - He had a minor overbite. But based on the pictures especially, you could tell that he clearly needed his palate up top to expand.
- Night terrors - This was more of an issue with him in his first 2-3 years of life, and had resolved by the time he was 5 and was starting the Toothpillow program. Although, he was still quite the restless sleeper.
- Ear infections - They came far too easily, and just like with my other child, sometimes the illness wouldn't even hit them hard, but they would end up with an ear infection.
- Enlarged tonsils - This was another issue that was pointed out a few months prior to starting the Toothpillow program, and we were able to remedy this before starting the program by cutting gluten out of his diet.
- Snoring - It wasn't every night, but every once in a while, he would snore and/or talk in his sleep.
How it's Going:
- Speech issues - His speech has continued to get better and better and better. I credit that to the myofunctional exercises that we have continued, and not directly to the Toothpillow since the actual speech issues were almost fully resolved prior to starting the program.
- Mouth breathing - This is sometimes still an issue that is noticeable while brushing his teeth, but I no longer hear his audible mouth breathing throughout the day (unless he is sick and congested). He also has the smaller guide and is able to sleep with his mouth fully closed at night.
- Overbite - His teeth have definitely moved. When you look at the pictures, you can see that not only have his front teeth moved to be more aligned, but the side teeth are also changing shape as his palate expands.
- Night terrors - These are no longer an issue, but the credit cannot be due to the Toothpillow program.
- Ear infections - The same as with my older child. A few have come and quickly gone in the past year, thanks to a bit of red light and some homeopathic drops.
- Enlarged tonsils - These are still no longer an issue, as we have mantained a gluten free diet for him.
- Snoring - I think I have maybe heard him snore 3 times in the past year, so that has definitely improved. Although, he does still occasionally talk in his sleep, so some of his sleep is still a bit restless.
Toothpillow Progress Photos
Here are some before and after pictures to demonstrate the progress that has been made for each child within the past 13 months (straight from the Toothpillow app)!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Toothpillow Program worth the money?
I would say yes, definitely! Although I haven't seen a complete turnaround in 13 months, I wasn't expecting to. It is a 2-year program that you commit to and I have seen so much progress in both of my children, who both had different issues, and I can't wait to see how much will continue to change in the next year!
Also, besides the hefty initial investment, it's not much work or additional investment on your part. And, once you get your children trained to wear the Toothpillow and to keep it in at night while sleeping, it will become second nature for all of you, and they will have no idea how much they are benefitting from and doing preventative work while sleeping!
How do I get my child to keep their toothpillow in their mouth?
During the day, when your child is supposed to have their toothpillow in for at least an hour a day, I have always tried to have them put their toothpillows in while they are doing something else where it would not bother them. For example, it might be to keep their toothpillow in while we drive to and from the grocery store, or while watching a show, or my favorite, is to get them ready for bed and then we do a long reading session before bed with their toothpillows in and then they continue to wear them as they go to sleep.
At night, one of my children adjusted right away to keeping it in, while the other would spit it out immediately upon falling asleep. Sometimes I would wake them up to get it back in, but not always. However, the repetition caught up to them and after a few months, both children were not having any issues keeping their toothpillows in through the night.
Now, they request to keep their toothpillows in even when they get sick and have stuffy noses.
How do I find a myofunctional therapist?
The myofunctional therapy is supposed to help with proper tongue placement, and, ultimately, the shape of your child's palate and teeth placement. There are programs you can find online, or you can Google for someone in your local area to do in person, or you can book for online appointments through our favorite myofunctional therapist (Ms. Andrea Butler at OroFacialTX).
What happens if your child loses a tooth while using the Toothpillow program?
It is bound to happen at that age! However, nothing really changes with their Toothpillow usage. The only time the dentist takes it into consideration is when their 6-year old molars grow in in the back. At that point, your child will receive a guide that is the next size up to make sure and make space for their new, incoming teeth.
What happens if my child loses their Toothpillow guide?
If your child loses their Toothpillow, you can always get another one. My recommendation is to order it directly from the Toothpillow app. In my experience, if your local dentist provides them, they will charge more for a replacement than the Toothpillow program directly. For our guide that we needed a replacement for, we had to pay $100 for the replacement.
Are there any additional fees for the Toothpillow program after the initial payment?
When you pay at the start for the Toothpillow program, that is supposed to cover all of your fees for the program for the 2 years that you pay for, including dentist reviews of your progress every three months.
The Toothpillow Program is relatively new, but I know that there are some people locally where I am who are doing the program for longer than 2 years and do experience additional fees.
What kind of feedback do you receive from the dentist every 3 months?
You will receive a paragraph or so response from the dentist after submitting the extra pictures you need every 3 months. It will address the progress demonstrated in the past 3 months, as well as responses to any questions or concerns noted in your questionnaire.
How do I know if the Toothpillow Program is right for my child?
I would start by reviewing the material on their website and seeing if their examples sound like issues that your child is currently experiencing, and then I would do the free consultation. What's the worst that could happen being that it's free?!
Is there a Toothpillow discount code?
Yes! You can use the code MEGAN to receive a free video consultation, and to receive $200 off of your Toothpillow Program cost.
How to get started with the Toothpillow Program?
The step-by-step to sign up for the initial airway consultation is as follows. You can do it for free online, and then if your child qualifies, you can decide whether to proceed with the program. (Make sure you use the code MEGAN to get the video consultation for free and $200 off the cost of treatment.)
Conclusion
I hope this review was helpful, and that it helps to encourage you to do the Toothpillow Program if you have been on the edge. This is a program I wish I had as a kid, and still need today, so I'm really excited to see what they will come out with as their adult Toothpillow Program! I will continue to update this post as we go, so that you can see the continued progress, and if you have any questions that I missed, please drop them in the comments below!