Airway Orthodontics

Airway orthodontics looks at how jaw growth, facial development, and dental alignment may relate to breathing and sleep. Our orthodontists can evaluate these patterns to better understand how your child’s mouth and face are developing.

It’s not about diagnosing medical conditions, but about recognizing factors that may affect long-term health.

Not by itself. Orthodontic treatment alone does not treat breathing or sleep disorders. However, Dr. Berenshteyn, Dr. Taylor, Dr. Ha, Dr. Sanacore, and Dr. Rakholia can identify patterns that may contribute to these issues and help coordinate care with medical professionals when it makes sense to do so.

Airway conditions are diagnosed by medical providers, like Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialists or sleep medicine doctors. If our orthodontists notice signs that may relate to airway concerns, they may recommend that you see one of these specialists for further evaluation.

Orthodontists are trained to study facial growth, jaw development, and bite alignment. These structures can affect how a person breathes. By monitoring these factors, orthodontists may identify patterns that could affect airway function.

Some common signs include mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep, daytime fatigue, difficulty focusing, or narrow dental arches. These signs don’t always mean there is a medical problem, but they may suggest that further evaluation could be helpful.

Screening can begin in early childhood. The American Association of Orthodontists and our doctors recommend that every child see an orthodontist by age seven.
In many cases, your orthodontist can simply watch their growth and development over time to see how the teeth, jaws, and facial structures change as your child grows.

Not necessarily. Early screening often means observing development and checking for changes as a child grows. We’ll only recommend treatment if it becomes necessary.

Care may involve a team of healthcare professionals. This could mean ENT doctors, sleep specialists, pediatricians, myofunctional therapists, and orthodontists working together to support a patient’s overall health.

Myofunctional therapy focuses on improving the function of the muscles of the mouth and tongue. It can help address breathing, swallowing, and tongue-posture habits that may influence you or your child’s oral development.

No. While early evaluation is more common for children, teenagers and adults may also benefit from an orthodontic assessment related to airway and facial structure.

Recognizing developmental patterns early allows our orthodontists to monitor growth, guide development when needed, and coordinate care with other healthcare providers when that makes sense.

The first step is a comprehensive orthodontic evaluation. During this visit, your orthodontist will assess your teeth, bite, and facial development and discuss whether any further screening or monitoring may be helpful.