Airway, Airway, Airway... Orthodontics?

We just attended our national conference a week ago, and this year's annual session in Orlando was outstanding. Aside from the wonderful people I met there and the fun activities we enjoyed after classes, I'm still riding the high from learning about all the incredible advancements we've made in orthodontics. I look forward to these sessions because there are so many bright minds advancing the profession and allowing us to continue to drive orthodontics well beyond straight teeth and bright smiles.

Lately, there has been a large push towards airway orthodontics, and that people should seek out so-called airway orthodontists. I'm going to say it right now. We need to be careful with what we claim we can or cannot do in this space. Expanding and manipulating the jaws CAN improve the airway, but there needs to be a measured approach in diagnosing and treating the airway with orthodontic appliances. That's why I dislike using the term "airway orthodontist", because to do so is missing the entire point of what we are as a profession. Rather, I'm an orthodontist that understands the impact of our treatment on the airway. We can affect the growth and development of a young child, or teenager, and even adult by having this very intimate understanding and applying it to our orthodontic treatment plans. So, call me an airway orthodontist if you want, but understand that the profession is always evolving and implementing best practices based on the literature. Some of us are more forward thinking and up to date on the latest data, but that doesn't mean a "regular orthodontist" doesn't understand the airway. I practice Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, and airway orthodontics is merely a small (though important) part of our specialty.

For years, we've known that maxillary expansion has profound benefits to a child's overall development beyond just better jaw alignment. We've also known how to expand for decades. What we've learned recently is how to quantify our cause and (some - not all yet) effect. If we expand at 8 years old how does that differ from expanding the same child at 12 instead? What if we expanded kids at 6 years old? How is a quad helix compared to a hyrax or a Haas expander, or what about the difference between a Rapid Palatal Expander (RPE) vs a Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expander/Maxillary-Anchored Rapid Palatal Expander (MARPE). Where and when does Surgically-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion come into play? What about jaw surgery?

These are all things we have been researching and practicing for years, but this past weekend presented an incredibly eye opening series of lectures further confirming that the way we approach expansion and the airway is truly sets you and your children up for optimum growth and development. We've come to the point where we can wade through the nuance of how airway can be positively affected by orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics.

If you think this treatment can help you or your child, then give us a call and setup a consultation to learn more about your options.