Could Your Airway Be the Root Cause of Your Child’s ADHD, Your Exhaustion, and Your Sleep Apnea? with Dr. Hilary Fritsch, DMD

I am so excited to bring you this week’s guest, Dr. Hilary Fritsch, DMD, a leading airway and biological dentist based in Bozeman, Montana. Dr. Fritsch is the founder of Saddle Peak Dental and Western Sleep Solutions, and she has spent over a decade uncovering what most conventional dentists and physicians are simply never taught: that your jaw, your tongue, and your airway may be the root cause behind some of the most common chronic health complaints I see every day.

This episode is deeply personal for me. My daughter Elle recently went through the process of getting a palate expander and working with a myofunctional therapist. I have watched firsthand how airway-focused care can shift behavior, sleep quality, and overall health in ways that no medication ever could. If you are a parent concerned about your child’s focus or sleep, if you are a woman in perimenopause who has been told your sleep study is normal but you still feel exhausted, or if you are on a CPAP and wonder if there is a better path forward — I made this episode for you.

Dr. Fritsch also shares her own powerful story of overcoming ankylosing spondylitis, a severe autoimmune disease she was told was genetic and untreatable. She traced much of her health decline back to decades of poor sleep rooted in airway dysfunction she had been living with her whole life. That journey transformed how she practices dentistry and led her to develop a non-surgical approach to palate expansion and airway restoration for both children and adults.

What I Cover In This Episode

Why Your Child’s Behavior, Sleep, and Focus May Start in the Jaw

Nobody told me this when Elle was young, and I do not want it to be true for your family either. ADHD, hyperactivity, anxiety, and chronic fatigue in children can very often be traced directly back to airway dysfunction. When a child’s jaw is underdeveloped or the tongue cannot rest properly on the roof of the mouth, the entire body feels it. Dr. Fritsch walks through the full checklist of symptoms to watch for: dark circles under the eyes, restless sleep, mouth breathing, chronic ear infections, teeth grinding, and behavioral changes at school. Catching these signs early — even in infancy — can change the entire trajectory of your child’s health and spare them from years of misdiagnosis and unnecessary medication.

The Root Causes Behind the Modern Airway Crisis

A hundred years ago, dentists understood jaw development and airway health. That knowledge became a lost art, and we are all paying for it now. Dr. Fritsch explains how softer modern diets, epigenetic changes since the introduction of baby formula, and increased indoor living have created a generation of underdeveloped palates and compromised airways. The tongue is the architect of the face, and when nasal breathing and proper tongue posture are absent from infancy, the jaw simply does not develop as it was designed to. This is why nearly every child today needs braces, why wisdom teeth get extracted, and why so many adults are exhausted and in pain without a clear explanation.

Why Women Are Being Missed by Standard Sleep Testing

I am living proof of this. I spent years feeling exhausted and was told my sleep study was essentially normal. Standard sleep apnea testing was designed around male physiology, and women are paying the price. Because women have a lower arousal threshold, we tend to wake before reaching the 10-second mark required to count as an apnea event. A woman can have 50 respiratory disturbances in a single hour and still receive a completely normal result. Dr. Fritsch explains how upper airway resistance syndrome goes undetected in women for decades. She also unpacks the critical connection between perimenopause, declining progesterone and estrogen, and the dramatic increase in airway collapse that follows. Progesterone is airway protective. When it drops off, the airway collapses far more easily — and women who have been quietly compensating for years finally receive a diagnosis. If you are a woman in midlife who is not sleeping well, please do not skip this section.

Non-Surgical Palate Expansion and the Four Elements of Airway Health

When I first looked into addressing my airway, I was told my only option was to have my jaw broken and a palate expander screwed in. I walked away and I am so glad I did. Dr. Fritsch outlines the four elements every healthy airway requires: a functioning nose, adequate tongue space, a strong tongue, and a sufficient airway opening. She uses a removable appliance called Vivos to expand the palate, open the nasal passages, and create room for the tongue — no surgical intervention required. When paired with myofunctional therapy to retrain breathing patterns and strengthen the tongue, this approach addresses the actual root cause. Research shows myofunctional therapy alone can reduce sleep apnea severity by up to 50%.

What Every CPAP User Needs to Know

A Harvard researcher analyzed three major clinical trials and found that low-risk sleep apnea patients were being actively harmed by long-term CPAP use. Levels of angiopoietin-2, a biomarker linked to arterial inflammation, were rising. A protective biomarker called VEGF was declining. A 2026 presentation at the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine conference revealed a 30% increase in mortality risk for patients in the low-risk category. I want to be clear: this does not mean you should rip off your CPAP tonight. It means you deserve to understand what kind of patient you are, have an honest conversation with your practitioner, and start working toward addressing the root cause rather than managing a machine for the rest of your life.

About Dr. Hilary Fritsch

Dr. Hilary Fritsch, DMD, is an airway and biological dentist with nearly two decades of clinical experience specializing in jaw development, tongue-tied infants, and the non-surgical treatment of sleep and breathing disorders. She is the founder of Saddle Peak Dental and Western Sleep Solutions in Bozeman, Montana, and she trained extensively under Dr. Kevin Golz, a pioneer in adult palate expansion with over 6,000 cases completed. 

Resources and People Mentioned:

• Vivos Palatal Expansion
• Candid Clear Aligners
• Smile Shapers
• American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
• Why Biological Dentistry & O& Oral Health Hold the Keys to a Healthier You | Dr. Nunnally & Dr. Freeman

Connect with Dr. Myers:

• Website: https://www.dramymyers.com/
• Dr. Myers’ Inner Circle: https://www.drmyersinnercircle.com
• Newsletter: https://dramymyers.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dramymyers
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dramymyers

Connect with Dr. Hilary Fritsch: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilaryfritchdmd/
• Website: https://saddlepeakdunnell.com/

Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 Modern Airway Crisis
• 00:53 Meet Dr Hilary Fitch
• 03:07 Host Personal Wake Up
• 05:54 Fitch Origin Story
• 08:10 Airway Training Maze
• 10:28 Newborn Jaw Foundations
• 11:55 Tongue Ties Explained
• 13:36 Breastfeeding Diet Habits
• 15:30 Kids Red Flags Checklist
• 17:57 Adult Symptoms Risks
• 22:55 Women Menopause UARS
• 29:16 Four Pillars Fixing Airway
• 30:15 Nose Palate Remodeling
• 30:56 Jaw Expansion TMJ Concerns
• 31:51 Adult Palate Expansion
• 32:46 Vivos vs Surgical MARPE
• 33:48 Tongue Space and Myo Therapy
• 34:22 Kids Expanders and Tooth Pillow
• 40:05 Compliance and Pain Fears
• 45:03 Mouth Tape Guidance
• 46:45 Adult Aligners and Brands
• 49:22 CPAP Risks and Biomarkers
• 56:22 Root Cause Wrap Up