What Is Airway-Focused Orthodontics?

When most people think of orthodontic issues, aesthetic problems like crooked teeth or an underbite come to mind, the truth is, however, that dental and jaw issues can have a profound impact on your body, making orthodontic care enormously functional.

Airway orthodontics considers the relationship between a patient’s teeth, jaw, and airway passages. From tongue tie to sleep apnea, airway orthodontics for kids and adults can resolve numerous conditions that may be impacting your quality of life.

With over four decades of industry experience, our team at Atlanta Orthodontics Specialists has the knowledge and expertise needed to help bring you relief. Keep reading to find out more!

What Does an Airway Orthodontist Do?

We’ve already mentioned how dental and jaw misalignment can translate into functional issues like difficulty breathing. This, in turn, can have a tangible impact on your quality of life, causing problems like headaches, snoring, and dry mouth.

An airway dentist helps resolve these issues through orthodontic care, treating the underlying causes.

After an initial consultation, your dentist will work with you to create a customized treatment plan that will ensure proper dental and jaw alignment. In doing so, you can look forward to the alleviation of any airway obstruction symptoms you may be experiencing.

Airway Orthodontic Treatment Options

When you visit us at Atlanta Orthodontic Specialists, we’ll examine your symptoms, assess the underlying issues, and recommend specific airway orthodontic treatment options.

This may include:

Expanders

Palatal expanders, commonly shortened to just ‘expanders,’ are custom-made appliances that fit onto the roof of your mouth. As their name implies, they work by creating additional space in your jaw.

While patients of any age can wear expanders, a pediatric airway dentist may require children to wear them for just a few months. On the other hand, teenagers and adults have stronger and more developed bones, often warranting expanders for longer durations—commonly several months to a year.

Regardless, they often play an integral role in addressing airway issues.

Aligners

Orthodontic aligners like Invisalign® offer a discreet alternative to braces, straightening teeth via plastic removable trays. Besides treating misaligned teeth, aligners can improve crowding, gaps, and bite issues.

If an adult or kids airway dentist determines that dental issues are impeding airflow, they recommend wearing aligners.

Braces

The most well-known orthodontic treatment, metal and ceramic braces, work by straightening, aligning, and properly positioning your teeth.

While achieving a more beautiful smile is, without a doubt, one of the biggest benefits of braces treatments, they can also help ensure proper airflow, as well as improve speech, chewing, and ease of cleaning.

Functional Appliances

‘Functional appliances’ refers to a family of orthodontic devices that work to correct jaw misalignments. Most commonly worn by children, these contraptions reposition the mandible, remedying issues like overbites that can manifest during growing phases.

Myofunctional Therapy

Did you know that targeted mouth, tongue, and throat exercises can sometimes help resolve airflow issues? This is called myofunctional therapy—often abbreviated to OMT (orofacial myofunctional therapy).

OMT works by giving patients the perception they need to recognize proper facial resting positions, such as keeping their tongue on the roof of their mouth and breathing through their nose. It’s similar to physical therapy for your face and can alleviate common symptoms of airway issues like snoring and sleep apnea.

MARPE

Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (MARPE) is an advanced orthodontic technique used to widen the upper jaw in teens and adults. Unlike traditional expanders that rely solely on the teeth for support, MARPE uses small, temporary miniscrews anchored in the palate to apply precise, controlled force directly to the bone.

This approach allows for more effective expansion, even after the jaw has fully developed, often reducing the need for more invasive surgical procedures. MARPE can improve bite alignment, create space for crowded teeth, and enhance overall airway function, making it a powerful option for achieving both functional and aesthetic results.

Signs Your Child Needs a Pediatric Airway Orthodontist

Airway issues are common in children, as their teeth and jaws are growing and developing. It’s, therefore, important to recognize the signs so you know when to start searching for the best kids’ airway dentist near you.

Common symptoms include:

  • Persistent mouth breathing (day or night)
  • Loud snoring
  • Restless sleeping
  • Crowded or crooked teeth
  • Teeth grinding
  • A forward head position
  • Chronic fatigue

Pediatric vs Adult Airway Treatment

Because adults have stronger, more developed bones than children, orthodontic care often progresses more efficiently in younger patients. For example, while an adult may need to wear a palatal expander for a year, a child may see results within two or three months.

Likewise, airway focused orthodontics for children often has the benefit of preventing future structural issues from arising, minimizing the chances of a patient needing invasive procedures down the road.

How Airway Issues Affect TMJ, Headaches, and Sleep

Airway symptoms like mouth breathing can exacerbate TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder, while causing headaches and impacting overall sleep quality.

When air doesn’t flow properly, your body compensates by using your jaw for stabilization. This often leads to mouth breathing, which causes snoring and sleep apnea. Finally, overworked neck and scalp muscles can cause tension headaches.

Conditions That Relate to Airway Problems

Patients with airway problems often suffer from other conditions. These can compound airflow impediments while causing other symptoms to develop.

If your upper and lower teeth don’t touch when you close your mouth, you may have an open bite. Similarly, an underbite occurs when your lower teeth overlap your upper teeth. Both conditions can restrict airflow, causing pain, speech impediments, and difficulty eating.

Teeth crowding, where your teeth are misaligned and overlap one another, is another related issue. Besides impacting self-esteem, crowded teeth can be difficult to clean, opening the door to future oral hygiene concerns.

In most cases, airway orthodontics can remedy all of these issues.

Airway Orthodontics vs Traditional Orthodontics

While airway orthodontics uses the same tools and techniques as traditional orthodontics, the underlying goal is to remove oxygen flow, remedying issues like sleep apnea, snoring, and mouth breathing.

This focus on long-term health emphasizes proactivity. Younger patients—even those whose teeth are still developing—can often benefit from airway-focused care.

What Happens During an Airway Evaluation at Atlanta Orthodontics Specialists

Getting evaluated for airway focused orthodontics is easy. It starts with booking a consultation, where we’ll ask you to share your symptoms before conducting a full oral examination. Afterward, we’ll share our findings, and if dental or oral concerns are behind your airway issues, we’ll develop and propose a custom treatment plan.

You’ll then be on the path to finding airway relief.

Airway Orthodontics for Snoring & Sleep Apnea

Dental and jaw issues can often exacerbate snoring and sleep apnea. While every patient’s treatment plan is different, we commonly use palatal expanders to expand the roof of the mouth. This allows more air to flow without obstruction through resolving underlying structural issues.

Besides reducing your tendency to snore, many patients report improved sleep quality and energy levels after treatment. You can look forward to holistic quality of life improvement across the board!

Treatment Timeline

We’ll share a specific treatment timeline after your consultation, but most care plans resemble the following:

  • Phase 1: 6-12 months of palatal expansion, where your jaw widens, and airflow improves
  • Phase 2: 1-2 years of aligning teeth and ensuring the correct jaw position
  • Maintenance: Occasional follow-up visits to ensure treatment success

Atlanta Orthodontics Specialists: Your Local Airway Dentistry Experts

At Atlanta Orthodontics Specialists, we’ve served the Atlanta community for over 45 years. Whether you have airway concerns caused by dental or jaw issues or you’re just hoping to achieve a brighter smile, we’re here to help.

Reach out to us today to book a consultation at one of our five Atlanta offices!

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