357: Tongue Ties & Sleep Issues Every Parent Should Know | Dr. Tracy Tran

Be Well by Kelly Leveque

Kelly Leveque

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

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Tracy Tran, a Newport Beach-based dentist who combines clinical precision with a compassionate, family-centered approach. She’s built her private practice around helping children thrive through early diagnosis and treatment of tethered oral tissues (TOTs) and orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs), which can affect everything from feeding and speech to sleep and overall development. We talk about her journey into dentistry and motherhood, how she became passionate about airway health, and why collaboration between dentists, pediatricians, and specialists is key to helping kids reach their full potential. Dr. Tran breaks down what parents should know about tongue ties, mouth breathing, and early intervention, plus how oral health connects to a child’s whole-body wellness. → Leave Us A Voice Message! Topics Discussed: → What are tethered oral tissues? → How do tongue ties affect kids? → When should tongue ties be treated? → What is airway health in children? → How to make dental visits positive? Sponsored By: → Be Well By Kelly Protein Powder & Essentials | Get $10 off your order with PODCAST10 at https://bewellbykelly.com/ → AG1 | Head to https://drinkag1.com/bewell to get a FREE Welcome Kit with the flavor of your choice that includes a 30 day supply of AGZ and a FREE frother. → LMNT | Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/Kelly. Find your favorite LMNT flavor, or share with a friend. → Manukora | Head to https://manukora.com/kelly to save up to 31% plus $25 worth of free gifts with the Starter Kit, which comes with an MGO 850+ Manuka Honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook! Timestamps: → 00:00:00 - Introduction → 00:02:40 - Airway Health Explained → 00:09:19 - Kids’ Sleep Issues → 00:14:32 - Healthy Face Development → 00:17:48 - Orthodontic Limits → 00:23:25 - Airway Expansion Techniques → 00:30:18 - Types of Dental Expanders → 00:35:27 - Treating Children’s Oral Health → 00:38:25 - Mouth Breathing Symptoms → 00:45:08 - Adult Airway Health → 00:47:49 - Measuring the Mouth → 00:54:09 - Breastfeeding & Latch Support → 01:00:20 - Moms Balancing Work & Kids → 01:03:04 - Steps Before Expansion → 01:05:52 - Common Oral Health Problems → 01:08:24 - Tonsil & Adenoid Removal → 01:13:19 - Children’s Overall Health Check Out Dr. Tracy Tran: → IG: @drtracytran → Website: https://www.drtracytran.com/ Check Out Kelly: → Instagram → YouTube → Facebook

Transcript

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0:00.0	10 millimeters of expansion is going to give you a 20%, 25% increase of nasal volume.
0:06.0	You'll breathe that much better in your nose.
0:08.0	That's crazy.
0:09.0	So people don't consider that we're not, when we expand, we're not just treating this and making room for the teeth and making room for the tongue to sit up in there too.
0:18.0	Yeah.
0:19.0	We're actually opening up the nasal cavity that's
0:21.6	getting wider. And so we're treating the whole nasal maxillary complex. You're listening to Be Well by
0:29.5	Kelly Leveck. Dr. Tracy Tran graduated from USC's Ostrass School of Dentistry and has advanced training in oral
0:38.7	surgery and pediatric dentistry along with a master's in biomedical science. She combines
0:44.4	clinical precision with a compassionate, family-centered approach to care in Newport Beach,
0:48.9	California. Since being in private practice, Dr. Tran has focused her continued education
0:54.0	on pediatric
0:55.0	tethered oral tissue, TOTs, and its relationship with oral dysfunction in order to diagnose
1:01.5	oral facial, myofunctional disorders, or OMDs. This includes difficulties with infant nursing,
1:08.1	toddler feeding and swallowing, speech articulation, and pediatric
1:11.8	sleep disorder breathing. She has successfully treated these patients through a collaborative team
1:16.3	approach and continues to expand her knowledge and experience in this niche specialty.
1:22.0	Dr. Tracy Trin, I finally got you across the table. I'm so glad. I know. You're so sweet.
1:28.0	I'm like excited for this.
1:29.3	I've been looking forward to this.
1:30.5	Oh, honestly, I feel like if anyone can explain airway health and tongue ties and expansion
1:35.8	just to like the moms who need to hear it most and the dads, you're that person.
	...

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