Are you searching for an experienced airway orthodontist to recommend the best treatment protocol for you or a loved one? Three Leaf Orthodontics has offices in Waxhaw and SouthPark to help you with sleep disordered breathing, obstructive sleep apnea, and improved airway function through experienced orthodontic treatment.
Get Knowledgeable and Caring Airway-Focused Orthodontics Treatment
The best way to reduce the complications of obstructive sleep apnea is with proper orthodontic treatment of the problem as early as possible. Here is what you can expect during your airway consultation.
During your first, complimentary consultation, we will evaluate the bite, the developing dentition, facial muscle balance, jaw development, and the volume of the airway, using 3D imaging for the most accurate evaluation of the patient’s condition
For children, expansion of the upper arch with an expander or braces can increase the room for crowded and crooked teeth (thus avoiding future extractions), and can improve tongue posture leading to a resolution of chronic mouth-breathing
We also work closely with our ENT colleagues when tonsils and adenoids need to be assessed, ensuring a customized treatment plan specific to every patient
By reshaping the mouth and positively influencing jaw growth, airway-focused orthodontics will improve breathing ability and create a beautiful, confident smile for life
What is Airway Orthodontics?
Some people have difficulty breathing while they sleep due to a partially or fully obstructed airway. This is known as Sleep Disorder Breathing (SDB).
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition where the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep. It is the most common form of SDB, affecting 5% of children and more than 18 million American adults.
Airway-guided orthodontic treatment focuses on the patient’s airway and how to improve their ability to breathe easily, resolving obstructive issues
At our complimentary consultations, we assess the airway and if there is a need to manage airway issues to improve the quality of the patient’s sleep and, therefore, their quality of life due to the long-term health benefits that arise from an increased oxygen supply to the body.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?
- Snoring
- Mouth breathing
- Rapid shallow breathing
- Restless sleep
- Daytime sleepiness
- Poor performance at school
- Narrow palate/jaws
- Swollen tonsils
- Ear/Sinus infections
- Dental crowding
- Bed wetting
- Tooth grinding and clenching
What are the Benefits of Airway Orthodontics?
When Sleep Breathing Disorders like Obstructive Sleep Apnea are corrected with interceptive, airway-focused orthodontic treatments, the benefits are far-reaching:
- Overall improved health
- Good night’s sleep; healthy breathing. Breathing better, feeling better
- Improved focus at school
- Promotion of healthy facial growth
- Decreased crowding: straight teeth
- Adequate palatal width and tongue posture to correct mouth-breathing
- Reduced or eliminated need for jaw surgery
What Are Some of the Common Causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
- Cross bites
- Crowding
- Narrow palate
- Enlarged tonsils and adenoids
- Obesity or being overweight
- Genetic disorders
Schedule Your Airway Orthodontics Consultation in Waxhaw or SouthPark Charlotte, Today
At Three Leaf Orthodontics we offer complimentary consultations. Learn more about your airway focused orthodontic treatment options at our convenient Waxhaw or SouthPark locations.
We will customize a treatment plan for you or your child that helps to promote a healthy airway, better sleep and improved overall health. Reach out today!
Additional FAQs Patients Ask About Airway Orthodontics
Why is the airway important in orthodontics?
A healthy airway is very important to ensure an adequate oxygen supply to the body, allowing for better sleep, improved everyday function and overall better health.
What is airway-centric dentistry?
This is dental and orthodontic treatment that is focused on addressing problems with the mouth or facial growth that lead to obstructed breathing, and therefore have an impact on sleep quality and everyday function.
How do orthodontists treat sleep apnea?
By focusing on a healthy airway, orthodontic correction for sleep apnea can include braces, Invisalign, or other orthodontic appliances to improve tongue positioning, jaw posture, crooked teeth, and overall mouth width
Can braces open your airway?
Airway focused orthodontic treatment helps to prevent or correct constriction of the mouth to ensure a healthy airway. Braces, Invisalign or other orthodontic appliances such as expanders for the improvement of a child’s airway, can all be used effectively to ‘open’ the airway. A healthy airway leads to improved overall health, better sleep and better everyday function
