Airway Orthodontics: Become an Advocate For Your Child

It’s a new year and as my myofunctional therapy business grows and evolves, I continue to spend countless hours talking with parents about airway concerns and airway orthodontics in children. I do this because children don’t have a dog in the fight. They don’t have a voice, because they don’t know. And parents don’t know either. If the doctors or dentists don’t tell a parent there is a concern, they may never find out. That robs a child of greatness. It robs a child of optimized human performance. It may rob a child of great school memories because learning and good behavior become a struggle for children with airway centered disorders.

The problem with orthodontics is there is an old way and a new way of thinking, and not everyone is up to speed on the new way. Very often, when parents reach out to me, the information they have about their child’s myofunctional impairments and craniofacial development is inaccurate and incomplete.

Dr. Barry Raphael is an orthodontist in New Jersey who is making great strides in bringing together people who have very different ways of doing things but have common goals. At the end of the day, we all agree that the airway is important, but there are many different philosophies involved in the process of getting to the end goal.

In this article, I will give you some basic yet very important information about airway orthodontics. I find that parents are often overwhelmed when I tell them I have a concern for their child’s airway and I’d like to refer them to an airway orthodontist. These types of orthodontists are not on every street corner and I encourage parents to be open to traveling to find the right person.

Below are some excellent choices for parents to use as resources when looking for an airway orthodontist. I encourage parents to start with these websites and then go from there.

What Is Meant By the Term Airway Orthodontics?

Airway orthodontics is not a widely recognized term but it basically describes how an orthodontist practices or thinks. An airway focused orthodontist understands that cosmetically straightening teeth is not a healthy answer. Old school thinking believes that malocclusion (crowded, crooked teeth) is the problem and moving teeth is the answer. Airway orthodontists understand that when a child has a better airway, he or she will have a better life. These orthodontists understand that soft tissue dysfunction is the etiology of malocclusion and they look for better ways to address the root cause.

The problem is not really about the teeth. It is about the body seeking equilibrium. Malocclusion is the body’s solution to an imbalance. Dr. Raphael believes “If your orthodontist is only seeking to straighten the teeth, then he or she is doing so in avoidance or ignorance of the real problem.”

Airway orthodontists have stopped worrying about the crooked teeth, and are now focused on what caused them to be crooked. Airway orthodontists believe that when you start seeing the problem as being something other than the teeth, then you start looking for very different solutions. One of the first goals will be how to get your child breathing through the nose. Another will be how to help your child get the tongue to the roof of the mouth.

How To Talk With Your Dentist About the Correct Orthodontist Referral

Educating yourself about the airway and airway orthodontics will help ease this conversation. Your dentist may not be one of those people operating with “the new way of thinking”. Your dentist might still be referring to the local orthodontist at age 12, just like he or she was taught in dental school. Somebody has to stand up for your child.

You want your child to grow properly, and having a critical eye for the health of your child is necessary. You have to be an activist and an advocate and not be afraid to have the hard conversations or go elsewhere for second and third opinions if necessary.

The first question you should be asking your dentist is how his or her dental practice is screening patients for sleep and breathing problems. The second question should be how is your dentist identifying misguided craniofacial growth and is he or she able to refer you to someone who will address the root cause, not just fix the teeth?

Questions You Should Be Asking the Orthodontist

Again, this can be challenging, especially when you don’t know a lot about orthodontics, but the first three questions I would encourage you to ask are:

Do you do retractive orthodontics?
Do you extract teeth to fix crowding issues?
Do you understand the concepts behind airway focused orthodontics and do you believe in the philosophy?

If the orthodontist routinely uses extraction or retraction to solve problems, then I would encourage you to move on to another orthodontist. You need someone to help your child grow properly, irrespective of the teeth. When you extract teeth from a small mouth, you get a smaller mouth. Dr. Raphael believes “when you pull teeth back into the face when the lower jaw is already retracted is antithetical to health”.

Where Is Myofunctional Therapy Going To Fit In?

I’m going to help your child learn how to nasal breathe…so that he or she can keep the lips together…so that the tongue remains resting on the palate…so that he or she can swallow with the tongue and not the facial muscles.

What Steps You Should Take

The first step will be to have your child completely assessed. This will include the assessment of breathing, sleeping, chewing, swallowing, speaking, and posture. A myofunctional therapist will complete this assessment and will be the “hub of the wellness wheel.” Your child will need a comprehensive health team, and your myofunctional therapist will help you create this team.

The members of the comprehensive team may include:

Myofunctional Therapist
Sleep Specialist
Breathing Educator
Chiropractor
Craniosacral Therapist
Nutritionist
Behavior Specialist
Medical Support and Primary Care
Allergist
ENT
Airway Orthodontist

Once your child has an assessment, a comprehensive plan can be created.

If You Have Concerns

By now, if you’ve been following me long enough…you know my path of passion here. I want you to be Sherlock Holmes in your child’s life. It doesn’t cost you a dime to make a free 30-minute appointment with me to talk about what you should do. Start. Today. Parents often drag their feet jumping into this stuff because they see dollar signs. But, I see the disgust when they finally take that step and learn how they should’ve helped their kiddo long ago.

About Carmen

Carmen found her path of passion years ago as a dental hygienist. After a stint in graduate school to earn her M.B.A., she left clinical hygiene practice to start her business, Integrative Myofunctional Therapy. In addition to seeing clients in her private online practice, she also teaches the craft of myofunctional therapy in her Myo Mastery Program, coaches dental offices on how to implement myofunctional screening into the daily practice, and speaks frequently in various settings.

Carmen is a provider for the Foundation of Airway Health, where she works diligently for the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of airway related disorders.

In addition, she is a proud member of several professional associations that afford her the opportunity to learn so that she can help her clients. Her professional memberships include: