{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Sleep Matters Podcast","title":"The Wake-Up Call You Can’t Ignore: Pediatric Airway Awareness & Early Expansion with Dr. Johnny Ukich","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2120,"description":"In this episode, Jason Tierney and Dr. Erin Elliott talk with Dr. Johnny Ukich about the slow shift from focusing mainly on cavities and traditional pediatric care to recognizing the early signs of sleep-disordered breathing in kids.\nWhat does it take for a busy pediatric dentist to start seeing airway differently?\nFor Dr. Ukich, that shift didn’t come from one lecture or a EUREKA! moment. It came through years of conversations, his father’s background in early orthodontic thinking, and eventually what he began noticing in his own child. Once the pieces connected, he started seeing open-mouth breathing, snoring, bedwetting, poor sleep quality, and arch development in a completely different light.\nThis is a grounded conversation for dentists who may not feel ready to treat every airway case, but do need to know what to look for. Dr. Ukich makes the case that awareness alone can change lives, especially when it leads to earlier questions, better screening, and stronger collaboration.\nWhat’s on the Menu:\nA Real Conversion Story: Dr. Ukich shares how airway was not part of his early training and how it took years in practice before the dots finally connected.\nWhy Personal Experience Changed Everything: Like many clinicians, the turning point came when he began seeing these patterns in his own child and could no longer dismiss them as isolated issues.\nWhat Early Treatment Started to Reveal: Once he began expanding earlier, he saw changes parents could notice quickly, including better nasal breathing, less bedwetting, and improved sleep.\nScreen Even If You Don’t Treat: One of the clearest takeaways is that pediatric dentists do not need every tool or every service in-house, but they do need to recognize the signs and start the conversation.\nHow He Talks to Parents Without Sounding “Salesy”: Dr. Ukich focuses on sleep quality, growth, and what parents are actually seeing at home rather than jumping straight into treatment.\nWhy This Has to Be a Team Approach: The episode...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/52Qaaw05xuFHPCIyraqjh64o9mT1jbe9VlOf6cHLHwE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zMzg4/ZGE2MTI3YzQwNTcw/ZTRjYjBkNjBkZTZl/NTEyOC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}