Seattle’s home for pediatric wellness and breathing
Rescuing unicorns every day — nurturing the next generation of changemakers
Whole-Body Health, Pain-Free Comfort, and Full-Human Advocacy
No more playing messenger between your child’s doctors. At health:latch, Dr. Thomas and our team coordinate all collaborative care—so your child’s health moves forward seamlessly, from the dental chair to the medical team, without delays or stress.
The OB Method™: A Solid Oral & Nasal Biome for Life
Our entire approach—from start to finish—is designed to nurture your child’s mouth and whole body.
Why? Because a healthy oral biome doesn’t just mean fewer cavities—it supports better digestion, a stronger immune system, and overall well-being.
We guide your child through four developmental stages that keep their mouth, jaw, and airway growing in harmony, while ensuring their oral biome stays in balance. And you’ll never be left coordinating care alone—we handle every conversation with your child’s pediatrician, specialists, or therapists so you can focus on your child, not the paperwork.
OB1
Oral & Nasal Functional Foundations
Assessments of the oral biome, nasal clearance, airway flow, and breathing health using focused wellness methods.
OB2
Advanced Oral Disease Monitoring
Proactive checks of early cavities using zero radiation imaging and pain-free, anesthesia-free, and needle-free treatments with Solea All-Tissue Laser technology.
OB3
Growth Without Fixed Appliances
Natural three-dimensional jaw growth guidance, often avoiding fixed orthodontic appliances entirely.
OB4
Muscular Function & Breathing for Life
By the end, we're aiming for optimal oral motor function—lips sealed, breathing through the nose, proper oral motor function, and healthy posture with shoulders back.
AI-Powered Tracking & Full-Human Advocacy — From OB1 through OB4, we use AI tracking to monitor growth and development. All findings are shared directly with collaborating providers. Dr. Thomas acts as your child's healthcare quarterback, ensuring every provider is on the same page without you having to lift a finger.
OB1: Oral & Nasal Functional Foundations
Beginning your child’s long-term oral journey with a comprehensive assessment focused on oral health, natural growth, and whole-body wellness.
Full Human Coordination
If our findings touch on broader health concerns, our team directly consults your child's pediatrician, ENT, or other specialists—you're never stuck relaying complex medical details on your own.
Comprehensive Assessment
Our team assesses posture, oral motor function, nasal and airway openness, establishing the groundwork for proper nasal breathing and long-term growth patterns.
Early Intervention Focus
By identifying and addressing issues early, we establish a path for natural development that can reduce or eliminate the need for more invasive treatments later in your child’s growth.
OB1 Advocacy Promise:
Our team handles all scan results and assessments, with provider communications shared directly with collaborating providers. Follow-ups are coordinated by our team so you can focus on your child.
“Our radiation-free approach means your child gets the most advanced diagnostics with the least exposure risk.”
OB2: Advanced Oral Disease Monitoring
Prevention First — Precision When Needed
Our goal is to start early so most children need little to no restorative work. But if care is needed—whether it’s soft tissue (like a tongue-tie), hard tissue (teeth or bone), or even better, no tissue at all—we have it covered. Using both Solea and LightScalpel lasers, each chosen for its unique strengths, we make every treatment gentle, precise, and anxiety-free.
NIRI's Justification for Radiation
We continue to monitor enamel with NIRI (Near-Infrared Imaging) scans to detect changes before they become bigger problems—all without radiation.
AI-leading Pinpoint Accuracy
NIRI validates when an x-ray is needed, and Pearl AI software supports accurate detection with a conservative watch first approach to imaging and annotation.
Dual Laser Technology
Our LightScalpel and Solea lasers complement each other perfectly—handling delicate soft tissue work to precise hard tissue treatments often painlessly.
OB2 Advocacy Promise: We ensure that any necessary collaboration—whether with your physician for health clearance or another specialist—is handled directly by our team, so care is smooth and coordinated. You’ll never have to relay complex medical information between providers.
OB3: Growth Without Fixed Appliances
At this stage, we evaluate tongue coordination, check for lip, tongue, and buccal ties, and guide natural three-dimensional jaw growth—often avoiding fixed orthodontic appliances entirely for children under seven.
OB3 Advocacy Promise: When treatment needs cross disciplines, we bring in speech-language pathologists and other necessary professionals, working directly with them on your behalf, so you can focus on your child—not on managing care logistics.
OB4: Muscular Function & Breathing for Life
In the final stage of our biological approach, your child is breathing clearly through their nose, chewing with strength, and growing with healthy jaw motion—all before age seven. Any ongoing airway or muscular therapy is fully coordinated by the health:latch team.
Clean Nasal Breathing
Proper nasal breathing supports optimal oxygenation, facial development, and immune function. We ensure your child’s airway is clear and functioning optimally.
Optimized Oral Motor Function
Developed masticatory muscles support proper nutrition, speech development, and jaw growth patterns that prevent future orthodontic issues.
Healthy Jaw Motion
Natural three-dimensional jaw growth and motion prevents TMJ issues and creates facial harmony, often eliminating the need for extensive orthodontics later.
OB4 Advocacy Promise: Your family remains focused on your child—not on therapists, breathing specialists, or other healthcare providers—while we handle care logistics seamlessly. We coordinate directly with you and integrate the work of all professionals into our approach for optimal results.
Happy Results
The Ruiz Family, Seattle
“health:latch didn’t just take care of my son’s teeth—they handled every conversation with his doctor and therapist so I could focused on him. And the laser treatment? He didn’t even flinch.”
Austin Huston
“As a mom of four and a birth doula in the community, I’ve seen my fair share of tongue- and lip-tied babies. The service and care at health:latch is truly unmatched. From the quick scheduling and day-of service, to check-ins and follow-up, everything is streamlined in a way you simply can’t beat. What’s usually a stressful, anxiety-inducing procedure becomes a genuinely positive experience.
I refer all of my clients here and always say that the travel time and/or cost is worth it for the peace of mind. Thank you, Dr. Thomas!”
Adiana Graybill
“At 20 weeks pregnant, my husband and I were overjoyed to see our baby girl on the anatomy scan. That joy quickly turned to fear when we learned she had tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. We prepared ourselves for surgeries, medications, and recovery—but I was in denial about one thing: feeding difficulties.
After her birth and open-heart surgery at five days old, a feeding tube was placed, and our challenges truly began. She struggled with bottles, making clicking noises, spitting up, arching her back in discomfort, and developing a severe oral aversion. Despite trying everything—medications, therapies, endless feeding strategies—she wasn’t improving. I voiced my concerns to her feeding team, cardiologists, pediatrician, and therapists, but was repeatedly brushed off—told tongue ties were "over diagnosed" or "not an issue if she could stick her tongue out." Deep down, I knew something was being overlooked.
That’s when I found Dr. Thomas at health:latch. Initially skeptical, I quickly saw his genuine care and expertise. He identified not only a tongue tie but also a lip tie, and with the guidance of an experienced OT, we moved forward with the release. Dr. Thomas was meticulous, prioritizing her safety above all else.
The results? Life-changing. She latched onto a pacifier, her lip blisters disappeared, and bottle feeds became smoother—no more clicking! Every day brings new progress, and we are beyond grateful for Dr. Thomas’s skill and integrity. If you’re struggling with feeding challenges and not getting answers, don’t wait—this could be the solution you’ve been searching for.”