335: Bedwetting, Tantrums & the Hidden Airway Crisis No One Talks About | Dr. Cruz (Kelly's Dentist)

Be Well by Kelly Leveque

Kelly Leveque

Nutrition, Education, Health & Fitness, Alternative Health, Self-improvement

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 86 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, I sit down with airway-focused dentist Dr. Mark A. Cruz to explore how breathing, facial development, and airway health impact everything from childhood behavior to long-term wellness. We talk about the hidden signs of poor airway function—like bedwetting, thumb-sucking, and mouthbreathing—and how early intervention can make a lifelong difference. Dr. Cruz explains the evolution of the human jaw, the importance of nasal breathing, and why so many common issues are misdiagnosed. Whether you're a parent or simply curious about optimizing your own health, this conversation will change the way you think about dentistry and whole-body care. Leave Us A Voice Message! | https://telbee.io/channel/4_b9zzx58wdkuwirqkcxwa/ Topics Discussed: How does airway health affect my child’s sleep and behavior? What are the signs of poor airway function in children? Can improving airway health help with focus and learning in kids? What is the connection between mouthbreathing and developmental issues? How can improving my child’s airway help with bedwetting and sleep disorders? Sponsored By: Be Well By Kelly Protein Powder & Essentials | Get $10 off your order with PODCAST10 at bewellbykelly.com. AG1 | Get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first subscription at drinkAG1.com/bewell. Jesse & Ben's | Right now, you can visit jesseandbens.com/bewell to claim 20% off on their first bag of fries. OneSkin | Visit oneskin.co/BEWELL and use code BEWELL for 15% off your first purchase. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Episode intro and overview 00:02:25 – Dr. Cruz’s background and education 00:06:51 – Starting out at UCLA and private practice 00:09:45 – Craniofacial medicine 00:16:09 – Jaw development around the world 00:18:34 – How the human head evolved 00:20:30 – Key findings from Dr. Cruz’s research 00:24:49 – Understanding and building the airway 00:28:58 – Parenting instincts in airway health 00:34:36 – What to know about hypoxia 00:35:30 – Sleep’s effect on the nervous system 00:40:28 – Expanding nasal airways 00:43:41 – Why airway issues get misdiagnosed 00:46:40 – Long-term effects of mouthbreathing 00:50:30 – Mewing and facial growth 00:53:20 – How airway form affects function 00:59:06 – Breathing techniques that help 01:03:09 – Treatment strategies to consider 01:07:51 – Personalized therapy approaches 01:13:27 – Health risks of untreated airway issues Check Out Dr. Cruz: Website Instagram Check Out Kelly: Instagram YouTube Facebook

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Just how you breathe can affect long-term heart disease, obesity, and then we could start
0:08.7	getting into the neurocognitive problem.
0:10.6	So it's just a huge cabal of so many symptoms that are driven by inflammatory responses.
0:17.1	You're listening to Be Well by Kelly Leveck.
0:26.6	Hey everyone, in today's episode, I interview Dr. Mark Cruz. He graduated from the UCLA School of Dentistry in 1986, and he happens to be my kids' airway
0:31.6	dentist.
0:32.6	We started seeking out an airway dentist that would support my boys to expand their palate,
0:38.5	open up their nasal cavity, and allow for more oxygen to get into their body.
0:44.1	And that's because we were seeing symptoms that were related to poor airway health and poor breathing,
0:48.5	such as wetting the bed at night and not being able to get out of pull-ups,
0:52.8	behavioral issues, exhaustion, biting
0:56.0	nails, pacifier needs, and thumb-sucking. So if any of these are habits or behaviors or a child
1:03.0	might have, this episode is for you with the goal of your child or even yourself learning how
1:08.5	to breathe properly and live your best life. So hopefully this educates you on Airway Health.
1:13.5	And if you are interested in watching this podcast via video, we are now streaming our video on Spotify.
1:20.9	And if you want to follow along and see who we're interviewing next, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter at bewellbykelly.com. I will let you know who's coming
1:29.7	on the show, what we're talking about, and all of the highlights of the best episodes.
1:36.0	Dr. Mark Cruz, I have been looking forward to this interview since you first started working with
1:41.5	my boys on their airway health. So thank you so much for being here.
1:45.5	Thank you.
1:46.0	It's my privilege.
1:46.8	I've been also looking forward to it.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Kelly Leveque, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Kelly Leveque and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.