Our Radically Kind Care Team
Dr. James Thomas, DDS, MS
FOUNDER, HEALTH:LATCH | AUTHOR | SPEAKER | HEALTHCARE INNOVATOR
Dr. James Thomas is a pediatric dentist, founder, and changemaker behind health:latch, a pioneering clinic in Bellevue, Washington, that helps families understand and address oral and functional challenges with a focus approach on breathing wellness.
health:latch began in 2017 as a niche model focused on infants struggling with feeding. Dr. Thomas saw how often parents were dismissed when they sensed something wasn’t right, and wanted to change that experience.
Dr. Thomas’s upcoming book, Why Babies Suck (November 2025), captures that journey. It helps parents trust their intuition, build awareness of what their child’s body is communicating, and advocate for care that supports true function. What started with babies quickly revealed something bigger: the same early oral and airway challenges often persist into childhood, shaping how kids breathe, sleep, and grow. health:latch is expanding its mission to help older children address the issues that matter most to parents—whole health, breathing wellness, and lifelong functional growth.
His work is guided by four core values that define the health:latch brand. We aim to be Radically Kind, Fiercely Patient, Disruptively Brave, and Defiantly Joyful. These values shape every interaction, decision, and innovation at health:latch.
Before founding health:latch, Dr. Thomas created Everyone By One, a traditional pediatric dental model that grew to serve more than 7,500 patients in the Seattle area. His leadership and systems-based approach built a model of care that continues to thrive today.
Whether holding a baby or caring for a child in his clinic, Dr. Thomas brings the same message to every setting: parents are not just part of the care team—they are the most qualified advocates for their child’s health.
Paige Compton OTR/L
OTR/L | OMT | CBS (coming soon!)
Paige Compton is a board-certified occupational therapist and a key part of the health:latch model. She studied kinesiology at Western Washington University and earned her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Queensland. Her experience includes early intervention pediatrics, pediatric oncology, adult rehabilitation for spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and stroke, and burn and trauma care in a level 1 trauma center.
Her focus changed after becoming a mother. Her son faced a tongue and lip tie, feeding challenges, oral motor dysfunction, and body tension. Paige searched for a provider who could look at the whole picture and guide her family with clarity. That search led her to health:latch and introduced her to Dr. Thomas. The experience shaped her commitment to help parents who need answers and support during the same early struggles. She pursued advanced training in pediatric feeding therapy and myofunctional therapy to address better the root causes behind infant and child feeding challenges.
Paige partnered with Dr. Thomas to develop a unified model for families at health:latch. Their work follows a consistent therapeutic first approach for every child. Therapy prepares the body, dentistry addresses structural barriers, and continued therapy supports healing and function. This provides families with a clear path, rather than separate steps that do not connect. Both specialties work together from the beginning, which improves breathing wellness, feeding function, and long-term growth.
Paige uses practical strategies that help parents understand what their child’s body shows during feeding, breathing, and movement. She communicates with clarity and develops treatment plans that align with daily routines. Her work reflects the health:latch values and supports families seeking thoughtful and transparent care. She looks forward to helping each family move through the process with confidence and steady progress.