Airway Management at Dr. Elston Wong Dentistry
Myofunctional Therapy
Airway and breathing concerns are the newest major focus in dentistry, and have now firmly reached the mainstream. As the most basic life process, proper breathing not only has beneficial whole-body effects, it also has enormous implications for oral health, dental health, jaw pain, and sleep and growth and development. The importance of proper airway function cannot be overstated, and is something that we take seriously to help our patients.
Does your bed partner report that you snore, or worse, gasp for breath from time to time? Do not write this off. Severe obstructive sleep apnea has been implicated in a high risk of heart attack and stroke in addition to many other diseases.. In children, poor breathing patterns can affect school performance, facial growth and development, dental crowding, and behavioural issues amongst other concerns.
Fast facts
Children should not snore! This is actually a serious concern.
Nobody should breathe habitually through their mouths. Humans are nose breathers.
The tongue should reside at the roof of the mouth during regular breathing.
Airway management often includes specialists from medicine, dentistry, speech and others.
The process
Step One
We identify and screen for breathing disorders through our myofunctional & airway questionnaire and inspection of the mouth.
Step Two
Myofunctional therapy (OMT) aims to train your brain and oral musculature to function properly for more effective breathing. This takes about ten sessions, and is performed by specially-trained hygienists.
Step Three
Concurrent with the OMT, we would also coordinate with your medical and/ or dental specialist team to ensure that bases are covered.
Let the images speak for themselves
Looking for real life transformations? Take a look at some before and after examples.
Try our virtual smile simulation
Airway FAQs
What does airway dentistry address?
Airway dentistry is a catch-all term that aims to help people breathe properly during the daytime as well as nighttime. Things that we would want improved would be things like Obstructive Sleep Apnea, mouth breathing, tongue posture, lip seal, proper swallowing function, but benefits would include less acid reflux, better sleep, and often fewer headaches or less jaw pain!
Do I have signs of sleep-disordered breathing or sleep apnea?
One of the most telling signs is if you are being told by your bed partner! Do not disregard these comments! If you are being told of bad snoring or gasping for breath at night, have that looked at as soon as possible. For children, mouth breathing and snoring are huge red flags.
Why is airway dentistry important?
Airway dentistry may not be glamorous, but we are insistent on it because of the health hazards that untreated airway problems pose. We are passionate about how we can improve oral health to improve overall health, for all the reasons listed above. This is not just a quality-of-life issue, this can potentially lengthen people’s lives.
What can you do to address airway problems?
Treatments now span a large range, from the behavioural (myofunctional therapy), medical (allergy testing and management), orthodontic (widening the arches), to surgical (tongue-tie release surgery, removal of tonsils and adenoids).
This is a rapidly evolving field, and dental management is now being recognized even by medical sleep specialists as an important part of treatment.
