Sleep Apnea Dentist In Sugar Land, TX
At The Airway Dentists, we want you and your children to get the greatest sleep possible. We prioritize our patients’ breathing because more than 85 percent of children with sleep-disordered breathing go undetected, and symptoms get dismissed by providers due to a lack of education in this area. We make the process easy for you and your family; simply complete a questionnaire at your appointment and we will discuss any answers that are concerning along with the signs we may find orally that you or your child is struggling to breathe at night. We treat sleep-disordered breathing issues with the use of cutting-edge airway orthodontics. Learn more below.
The Airway Dentists are reinventing your experience of visiting the dentist, by putting your sleep at the top of our list.
Meet Our Airway Dentistry Doctor
Dr. Kalli Hale
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly starts and stops. The lapses in breathing result in lower quality sleep and affect the body’s oxygen supply, which can result in serious health consequences. There are three main types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This is the most common form of sleep apnea and is caused by a person’s throat becoming overly relaxed while sleeping, blocking the airways and preventing normal breathing.
- Central sleep apnea. This occurs when your brain fails to submit signals to your breathing muscles, resulting in not breathing for a short period of time. This is a rare form of sleep apnea.
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome. Also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
This condition is normally associated with loud, intense snoring, but just because a person snores doesn’t mean they have sleep apnea. It can be caused by being overweight, excessive alcohol consumption, or drug use which causes the airways to become more relaxed and cause blockages. Sleep apnea can also be caused by genetics. People with a family history of sleep apnea are more likely to suffer from the condition. According to the Sleep Foundation, “Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders in the United States. It can affect children and adults and people of both sexes, although it is more common in men.”
What Is Airway Orthodontics?
The Airway Dentists help pediatric and adult patients breathe easier. For over a century, orthodontics has been done without understanding lower jaw development and expansion are possible. Early intervention orthodontics is typically not recommended to parents when it is absolutely critical in most cases. In Dr. Hale’s early studies, she was told palate expansion wasn’t obtainable outside of puberty and that lower jaw expansion was “just not possible”. After extensive post-doctorate training and hundreds of successful cases, Dr. Hale’s mission is to increase awareness of the PROPER way to treat our children so that they never experience sleep-disordered breathing as a result of underdeveloped dental arches.
At the Airway Dentists, we understand the importance of a beautiful smile, ours just comes with the perks of being systemic health and airway focused to get you the desired look. We will not compromise your child’s ability to breathe when we straighten their teeth!
All orthodontic treatment can and should be developed around maintaining the best airway possible for the patient, this is critical in growing children. When sleep apnea problems are not detected early on, you could develop other issues like learning and behavioral problems, heart disease, and impaired growth.
Airway Orthodontic Treatment Options
The Airway Dentists offer an easy-to-use airway orthodontic treatment option in the form of clear aligners. We use digital x-rays, a CBCT scan (for 3D x-rays) and an in-house digital scanner to capture images of your soft tissue. Once we have taken these images, our dental team will create your unique sets of Invisalign® aligners. They will provide gentle pressure to trouble areas of your jaw and tongue to properly aligner your mouth to attain the most effective airflow possible.
Airway Dentistry Process
Depending on your age, our airway orthodontics process may look slightly different. Learn more about our different processes by clicking the button below.
Smile Gallery
The Airway Dentists love helping change the lives of their patients. They do this through effective orthodontic treatment – view our success stories below.
Are You Ready To Change A Life?
If you have any more questions about Sleep Apnea & Airway Dentistry at our office, would like to schedule a consultation or would like to learn about a related specialty service, use the buttons below to get started.