Most people know orthodontics is about the form and function of an individual’s smile. But just like any field of study, there are subsets of the art of straightening teeth – including airway orthodontics.
While teeth alignment is the hallmark of orthodontia, airway orthodontics goes a step further as it explores the connection between our facial structure and overall health. This approach adds layers of care that extend beyond aesthetic transformations. Perfecting airways and teeth can even treat serious health issues like sleep apnea and obesity.
The Holistic Perspective of Airway-Focused Orthodontics
Traditional orthodontics (the one we’re all familiar with) primarily focuses on correcting tooth and jaw alignment for aesthetics and function. But what if braces or clear aligners could also enhance your health, sleep, energy, and everyday life? Enter airway orthodontics, a specialized subset that delves into how our oral and facial structures impact our ability to breathe, sleep, eat, and more.
Airway orthodontics goes beyond aligning teeth with a holistic approach—it considers how your tooth alignment, jaw structure, and surrounding bone and tissue influence the body as a whole. For individuals with mild to severe airway disorders, this can be a journey toward much-needed relief from OSA, chronic drowsiness, and more. By addressing the face’s structural issues, airway orthodontics takes a comprehensive approach to achieving ideal beauty, balance, and breathing.
Becoming Healthier and Happier Through Better Breathing
As you grow up, your craniofacial structures develop, and this process has a lifelong impact on your airway passages, tooth alignment, and tongue positioning. Sometimes, jaw structure doesn’t develop properly, leading to blocked or narrow nasal passages, bite issues, and tooth misalignment.
What Does Airway Orthodontics Treat?
Obstructed airways have a surprising effect on overall health. Pediatric and adult patients experience tongue placement, body posture, swallowing, and speaking difficulties. Jaw misalignment and a narrow upper palate also affect facial appearance. One of the most prominent airway-related complications is sleep disturbances and disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep-disordered breathing issues.
Comprehensive, airway-focused treatments seek to restore proper function and placement to the jaw, nasal passages, tongue, sinuses, and teeth. Airway-specialized offices like aligned. Orthodontics encourage overall health improvements that unobstructed airways bring patients. Beyond braces or Invisalign, treatments can also include jaw surgery, palatal expansion, orthopedic appliances, ENT medical treatment, and myofunctional therapy.
When to Visit an Airway Orthodontics Specialist
For children, symptoms like chronic mouth breathing, snoring, bedwetting, paused breathing when sleeping, and hyperactivity are red flags for airway issues. Childhood is the perfect time to address sleep-disordered breathing and orthodontic problems. Early diagnosis lets us treat children when they’re still growing, and craniofacial adjustments are the easiest.
Adults can also benefit from breathing-focused treatments even though their dentition is finished developing. Difficulty breathing during sleep, chronic fatigue, poor job performance, and unexplained weight gain are indicators of underlying airway issues. Breathing disorders identified through sleep studies and airway assessments can be treated with focused orthodontics, surgery, or therapy. The results are more energy, better productivity, and higher quality of life – improving your daily health and happiness!
Aligning Airways + Orthodontics on Pearl Street
At aligned. Orthodontics, we believe in more than just aligning your teeth. We’re also passionate about aligning your well-being and quality of life. If you or a loved one are experiencing signs of airway obstruction or sleep disturbances, it’s time to visit our office in Denver, CO. Book your consultation today and begin your journey to happier, healthier living.