AIRWAY ORTHODONTICS
Benefits Of Airway Orthodontic Therapy
Airway Orthodontist
DNA Appliance
WHAT IS AIRWAY ORTHODONTICS?
Airway orthodontics recognizes the fact that jaw, sleep, and breathing disorders are caused due to the backward position of jaws and incorrect tongue resting posture. The objective of airway orthodontics is to focus on the expansion of the jaw and bring it forward to widen the airways, which is a critical factor in improving the overall well-being of the patient. Airway Orthodontics acknowledges the limitations of current orthodontics techniques. It doesn’t just focus on widening airways like current orthodontics. Unlike current orthodontics, there are various benefits of airway orthodontic therapy such as, correct spine posture, proper tongue posture, protecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and fostering healthy sleep and breathing patterns.
JAW DYSFUNCTION, MALOCCLUSION & TMD
The alignment of the teeth not only has an effect on the position of the jaw and the resting position of the temporomandibular joints but also significantly influences breathing patterns and sleep disorders. The narrowing of the upper jaw naturally pushes the lower jaw back and further compromises the airway. To compensate for this, individuals may start clenching and grinding their teeth, which can lead to muscular dysfunction and articular disk displacement, causing TMD. This, in turn, can also manifest in the form of symptoms such as anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue, and a multitude of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, the compression of the nerves by the jaw muscles can cause more TMD-associated symptoms.
TRADITIONAL ORTHODONTICS & TMD
Traditional orthodontics concentrates only on teeth alignment and aesthetics. However, airway orthodontics not only concentrates on the aesthetics but also the functioning. Traditional orthodontics extracts teeth to relieve overcrowding and create space for teeth alignment; this is another possible cause of TMD. Removing teeth rather than expanding the jaw will alter the entire structure of the oronasal airway, which will leave no room for the tongue to rest on the roof. Additionally, it is also important to note that the maxilla, or roof of the mouth, is also the floor of the nose. A smaller maxilla, will render in a smaller nasal cavity, which in turn results in a compromised airway. This will force the body to find a way to compensate, like mouth breathing and poor posture. A smaller jaw will also push the lower jaw behind, causing strained muscles that exert a force on the jaw joint, which results in TMJ pain. Through the domino effect, headaches turn into migraines, which ripple into head, neck, and back pain.
AIRWAY ORTHODONTICS OVER TRADITIONAL ORTHODONTICS?
There are several benefits of airway orthodontic therapy compared to traditional orthodontics. These benefits of airway orthodontic therapy include the following,
- PREVENTION: Airway orthodontics helps correct jaw growth in order to prevent disturbed breathing, sleep, and TMD by restoring the airway by achieving a balance in the facial structure and function.
- OVERALL HEALTH: We just don’t treat the symptoms. We look for the cause and treat them holistically.
- INTERDISCIPLINARY: Our team approach helps us address multiple aspects of good health, including tongue posture, breathing, eating, sleep, mental well-being, and body posture.
NEUROMUSCULAR DENTISTRY
The purpose of Neuromuscular dentistry is to realign the muscles, jaw joints, and teeth to their optimal position to regain complete harmony between the mouth and body. Unbalanced dental alignment can cause limited jaw movement, headaches & migraines, sleep apnea, jaw locking, neck & shoulder pain, teeth grinding, and jaw & tooth pain.
While similar to traditional orthodontics, neuromuscular orthodontics differ in some major ways. They both use similar TMJ appliances to straighten teeth so individuals can have a perfect smile, healthy bite, and optimal body posture. But, their approaches to attaining this goal are what differentiates one from the other.
- In traditional orthodontics, while the treatment is planned in advance, it mainly focuses on aesthetics.
- In neuromuscular orthodontics, the complete teeth alignment treatment is precisely planned, keeping in mind the desired outcome that includes aesthetics and function. Neuromuscular orthodontics focuses not only on creating a beautiful smile, but also on how to achieve optimal tooth positioning without any discomfort.
- To better understand how neuromuscular orthodontics can help, let’s look at the different types of malocclusions (bite problems) and how they affect individual body posture. Malocclusions are divided into classes – 1, 2, and 3.
- In Class 1 malocclusion, there is an overlap of upper teeth over the lower teeth, but the dental arches are in relative alignment, so it doesn’t affect your bite too much or the body alignment (posture). However, your other teeth may be crowded or have gaps.
- In Class 2 malocclusion, the lower jaw is underdeveloped which leads to a severe overbite. It can significantly affect your bite, while the body posture may be tilted forward. This needs early orthodontic intervention.
- In Class 3 malocclusion, the lower jaw is larger than the upper jaw, which leads to a severe underbite. Here, the body posture sways backwards.
In neuromuscular orthodontics, since the muscles of the upper and lower jaw are already relaxed before placing the orthodontic appliances, the body is less likely to resist the treatment. This ensures greater comfort before, during, and after the treatment.
Through Neuromuscular Orthodontics, individuals can experience greater function of the jaw and neck, improved upper airways, optimal space for the tongue to rest comfortably, and a better physiologic range of muscles that control posture. This ensures long-lasting results from the orthodontic treatment, and an individual is less likely to suffer from TMJ symptoms.
As a part of airway orthodontics, this non-invasive dental treatment primarily focuses on treating TMJ disorders and TMD. The advanced technology used in neuromuscular dentistry helps the specialist evaluate the jaw joints, tendons, bite teeth alignment, muscles, and other moving tissues. By evaluating these factors, the Neuromuscular dentist can help alleviate symptoms, such as neck, shoulder, and head pain, clicking or popping in the jaw, jaw pain, teeth grinding, posture, and tinnitus.
Apart from using neuromuscular dentistry to treat temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), it is also used to correct overbites, tooth & jaw pain symptoms and misalignment of teeth. Depending on the cause, the specialist will create a customised treatment plan. However, note that neuromuscular dentistry is a part of a much more comprehensive treatment for TMJ and TMD.
INDIA’S LEADING AIRWAY FOCUSED DENTISTS
We are honored to be considered the pioneers and leaders of airway focused Dentistry in India. Our Founder Dr. Ankita Shah, trained by ENT & Sleep Surgeon Dr. Soroush Zaghi is also the Only Indian Ambassador of the Breathe Institute, Los Angeles.
TREATMENTS & APPLIANCES:
These days, we have a wide variety of braces available to choose from. These choices of braces include, Invisalign, Damon, I aligners, metal, ceramic and lingual braces. Choosing the right races may often get confusing as the individual requirements, expectations, and results may vary from one patient to another. Hence, we take great care to understand each unique case before any decisions are made about their treatment plans. We specialize in providing orthodontic treatment for patients of all ages. We select an orthodontic approach that works with nature and not against it, allowing the facial bones, jaws, and body to develop to the fullest potential, creating beautiful airways, balanced TMJ, and beautiful smiles.
ALF is a non-invasive orthodontic appliance that uses the principles of cranial osteopathy. It is a custom appliance made of light, flexible wire to expand both jaws. In children below 7 years of age, ALF appliances are used to guide proper facial growth and balance. For children between 7-11yrs of age, ALF appliances can help remodel suboptimal growth from earlier years and redirect proper development in the remaining active growth years. The only drawback is that it is a slow-acting appliance and needs an appropriate case selection. For selective adults, an ALF device can help get an effective method for achieving improved balance, function, alignment, and aesthetics.
For individuals who have extremely narrow upper jaws and have trouble breathing through their nose, such as in disorders like mouth breathing, snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome(UARS), or sleep apnea, we expand the upper jaw to become wider, which, in turn, increase the nasal cavity space. Miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE)/ MSE is an effective minimally invasive, non-surgical, and non-extraction treatment approach for expanding the upper jaw. It is a commonly used orthodontic treatment in teens and adults. The upper jaw suture completely fuses at 12-15 years of age, which prohibits the use of conventional expanders. The appliance was created by Dr. Won Moon of UCLA, Los Angeles.
The DNA Appliance gently broadens the upper arch space in three dimensions. This in turn, increases nasal cavity size. As a result, the lower jaw is able to move forward into a more natural position, due to the widening of the upper arch. The tongue and associated soft tissues are pulled when the jaw moves forward, resulting in an increase in the size of the airway. This eventually leads to an improvement in the patient’s ability to breathe. The bones are remodelled over time, non-surgically. This makes a foundational correction to the structure of the airway. It is a pain-free and minimally invasive process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional Orthodontics is retractive and pushes the jaw and teeth behind. Neuromuscular orthodontics focuses on improving both aesthetics and function, by making jaws wider and pushing the jaws forward. Neuromuscular orthodontics is planned precisely to achieve the desired patient outcome to ensure complete well-being.
Biobloc orthotropics is an excellent treatment approach for young individuals who do not have a perfect mouth posture. This biobloc orthotropic approach involves training the jaw muscles to hold and maintain the jaw in a proper position naturally. Unlike other approaches that involve tooth extraction or surgery for the jaw, biobloc orthotropics utilizes natural growth guidance to align the jaw correctly.
By focusing on the expansion of the jaw and achieving a proper facial structure and function, airway orthodontics helps in the prevention of TMD by avoiding issues such as teeth clenching and grinding, improper alignment of the jaw, etc.
DNA appliances offer several benefits, such as,
- Improved airflow through the mouth and the nasal spaces
- Decrease in teeth clenching
- Improved posture and bite function
- Reduced headaches, especially in the morning
There are several benefits of airway orthodontic therapy, such as,
- Improved tongue posture
- Better jaw growth
- mIproved sleep and eating habits
- A good balance of facial function and structure
OUR NON-INVASIVE SOLUTIONS FOR TMJ DISORDER & JAW PAIN:
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