Airway-Focused Orthodontics

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At Kozlowski DePascale Orthodontics, we look at much more than just the teeth. Straight teeth are great, but a healthy, confident, functional smile is even better. Our team takes a comprehensive, holistic approach to orthodontic care, evaluating how the teeth, jaws, airway, and facial development work together to support overall health and well-being.

Many people don’t realize that proper nasal breathing and healthy airway anatomy play a critical role in jaw growth, facial development, sleep quality, and orthodontic treatment planning. Airway obstruction, chronic mouth breathing, improper tongue posture, and tongue dysfunction can contribute to narrow jaws, crowded teeth, poor facial development, and sleep-disordered breathing.

Because of this connection, we perform a comprehensive airway evaluation as part of our orthodontic assessment. This includes an advanced 3D CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) imaging, allowing us to evaluate:

Nasal airway anatomy
Tonsil and adenoid tissue
Pharyngeal airway space
Airway volume
Jaw structure and facial development

We combine this information with a detailed health history, sleep and breathing symptom assessment, and clinical evaluation of facial growth patterns to develop the most appropriate treatment plan for each patient.

The Importance of Airway Function

Orthodontic treatment can play an important role in supporting healthy airway function and proper jaw development. Depending on each patient’s needs, treatment may help:

Improve tongue space and tongue posture
Expand a narrow palate and upper jaw
Improve nasal breathing
Help alleviate symptoms associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
Support healthy facial growth and development
Address retrusive jaw positions with mandibular repositioning appliances

As part of our coordinated, customized care, we will also:

Evaluate the need for an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) consultation
Assess tongue function and collaborate with a myofunctional therapist if needed

MARPE Appliance

MARPE (Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion) is an advanced orthodontic expansion appliance designed to widen the upper jaw and improve skeletal structure and/or development. Benefits of MARPE may include:

Widening a narrow upper jaw
Increasing the width of the nasal floor
Creating more space for proper tongue posture
Normalizing skeletal jaw width
Improving facial esthetics and facial balance
Enhancing jaw function and bite alignment
Supporting improved nasal airflow and breathing
Helping reduce symptoms associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

MARPE is often an excellent option for adults and adolescents who require more significant skeletal expansion than traditional orthodontic appliances can provide.

Why Airway Matters

A healthy airway can influence much more than orthodontic alignment. Difficulty breathing through the nose, chronic mouth breathing, snoring, poor sleep quality, and sleep-disordered breathing may impact facial growth, dental development, overall health, and quality of life. By incorporating airway-focused orthodontics into our treatment planning process, we strive to help patients achieve not only a beautiful smile, but also improved function, breathing, and long-term wellness.