AIRWAY ORTHODONTICS

What is Airway Orthodontics?

While many people seek orthodontic treatment for straighter teeth or bite correction, airway health is an increasingly important part of comprehensive care. Dr. Parsaei understands that proper breathing is closely linked to the growth and development of the jaws and dental arches. For her, straight teeth and optimal breathing go hand in hand.

Airway orthodontics supports healthy nasal breathing by addressing structural issues in the jaws and dental arches. When these areas are underdeveloped, the airway can become restricted, often leading to mouth breathing, poor oxygen intake, and disrupted sleep. In children, this may also contribute to behavioral challenges linked to poor sleep quality. By guiding jaw development and improving tooth alignment, Dr. Parsaei helps alleviate these issues, reducing symptoms such as snoring, mouth breathing, fatigue, and restless sleep.

Since airway health varies from person to person, Dr. Parsaei conducts a thorough evaluation of your nasal and oropharyngeal airways to create a personalized treatment plan focused on enhancing airway function. Her ultimate goal is to help you achieve a beautiful smile along with the ability to breathe easily and comfortably.

Symptoms of poor airway development may include:

Mouth breathing
Snoring or sleep apnea
Fatigue
Jaw tension and pain

Forward Head Posture
Abnormal facial development
Speech or swallowing challenges

Depending on your symptoms and needs, advanced imaging such as CBCT (Cone Beam CT scans) may be recommended to provide a detailed view of your airway. This helps determine whether symptoms like snoring, daytime fatigue, or sleep-disordered breathing are related to structural limitations in the jaws or dental arches.

Treatment options vary depending on age and the specific underlying issues. For adult patients with skeletal airway concerns, Dr. Parsaei offers advanced treatments like MSE (Maxillary Skeletal Expander), MARPE (Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion), or DOME (a minimally-invasive surgical form of MARPE) to improve both form and function. For younger patients, traditional hyrax expanders are typically used to help expand the palate. When the issue is primarily dental—such as crowding or tipped dentition—careful dental alignment can often help naturally widen the airway.

For patients showing signs of sleep-disordered breathing who may require surgical intervention due to severe skeletal discrepancies (i.e. orthognathic surgery), a sleep study may be recommended in collaboration with a sleep specialist and/or surgeon to ensure comprehensive care.

Non-surgical and surgical treatment options may include:

RPE (Rapid palatal expanders) – typically used in younger patients whose mid-palatal suture is still open, offering lower resistance to expansion forces.
MARPE (Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion) or MSE (Maxillary Skeletal Expander) – recommended for older teens and adults, offering skeletal expansion with no surgical intervention. These devices use temporary anchorage devices (TADs) implanted in the palate to securely anchor the expander, allowing for more predictable and effective expansion.
SARPE (Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion) or DOME (Distraction Osteogenesis Maxillary Expansion) both involve surgical intervention to gradually and safely widen the maxilla. These procedures also use MARPE or MSE devices and are typically reserved for adults whose midpalatal suture is resistant to non-surgical expansion.

Dr. Parsaei's comprehensive training in advanced surgical and non-surgical methods gives her access to tools that fit each individual patient.

Treatment Options