airway orthodontics - adults and children
Why airway orthodontics
A common reason to improve or correct crowded teeth is to improve the smile appearance. The reality is, crooked and crowded teeth may be the result of a more pressing underlying issue.
Airway Orthodontics looks beyond the symptoms to find the underlying cause of crooked teeth.
By analyzing your child’s anatomy, breathing, physiology, and neurology, we can develop a treatment plan that will ensure whole body wellness.
Underlying causes of incorrect bite positions can be improper oral habits like mouth breathing and developing an incorrect swallowing pattern.
A wrong bite position can also mean that the jaws are not growing correctly. With Airway Orthodontics, we aim to respect and protect the airway’s health during the orthodontic treatment process. Correcting the cause promotes healthy airways. Healthy airways improve your child’s health and encourage healthier adulthood.
airway orthodontics Treatment goals
well balanced faces
With proper nasal breathing and tongue position the upper jaw naturally develops forward and wide, allowing room for straight teeth, and even more importantly, allowing for the lower jaw to assume a forward and balanced position.
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healthy jaw joints
If the lower jaw is retruded into the base of the skull it can lead to headaches, backaches, ear aches, poor posture and so on. This condition is called Temporal Mandibular Joint dysfunction, commonly known as TMJ.
By expanding the upper jaw, our orthodontic treatment gives the lower jaw freedom of movement and freedom of growth and thus predisposes health of the jaw joints.
beautiful lasting smile
More than 80% of all patients have an underdeveloped upper jaw and midface.
Unfortunately, the lower jaw reacts to the underdeveloped upper jaw and thus becomes underdeveloped as well.
To initiate positive orthopedic changes, we use a comfortable appliance that stimulates an area on the palate causing the entire midface including the upper jaw to remodel for adults. The same appliance stimulates actual growth for children.
The lower jaw simultaneously follows the changes happening in the upper jaw, but is also stimulated gently and safely by an orthopedic approach.
epigenitic approach
The path of change follows a stored epigenetic blueprint for optimal development of the face.
Once the new bone has been formed and the jaws are more fully developed, the following orthodontic phase can correctly straighten the teeth into all the newly developed bone provided by orthopedic stimulation.
- Treat the foundation
- Treat early
- Treat the cause
Does my child need airway orthodontics
Airway orthodontics is necessary if your child’s breathing is affected while they sleep. Cessation of breathing can be caused by complete or partial upper airway obstruction. Typically thought of as an ‘adult’ disease, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) occur in up to 5% of children. If your child is experiencing disruptive breathing while they sleep, they are at an increased risk of developing severe medical health problems as well as learning and behavioral problems.
It aims to reduce the risk of severe medical and behavioral problems by re-establishing proper airways during sleep. Airway Orthodontics aims to improve more than the appearance of the smile. With improved alignment comes the ability to enhance airway health and overall health.
The focus is on the long term health well as a beautiful smile. While we often think of the cosmetic challenges of crooked teeth, alignment issues can actually cause a host of health problems. Both tooth alignment and bite can cause mouth obstructions for your child, potentially causing breathing problems like Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This serious medical condition causes patients to temporarily stop breathing in their sleep, resulting in problems ranging from difficulty sleeping to even diabetes, lung disease, and high blood pressure.
next steps
1. understand the root causes
3. teeth alignment and jaw stability
1. understand the root causes
Underdeveloped upper and lower jaws
Weak oro-facial muscles
Weak tongue/ tongue tie
2. treat the foundation
3. teeth alignment and jaw stability
1. understand the root causes
Early orthodontic treatment
Myofunctional therapy
Myobrace - myofunctional orthodontics
Epigenetic Oral devices
3. teeth alignment and jaw stability
3. teeth alignment and jaw stability
3. teeth alignment and jaw stability
Clear aligner treatment
Airway and facial esthetics
Tmj health