21st Century Dental Blog » Orthodontics

Airway and Dental Occlusion

admin — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 18:29:22 +0000

Q: Are there any studies showing a link between occlusion and the airway?

Dr. Smith: There are a few, but this one is specific to your question. Not a validated study, but interesting.

Dental malocclusion and upper airway obstruction, an otolaryngologist’s perspective

Dudley J. Weider, , a, Greg L. Bakerb and Fred W. Salvatorielloc

Available online 20 January 2003.

Abstract
Introduction: This paper, through the presentation of eight case reports and a limited literature review, attempts to illustrate the negative effect that upper airway obstruction can have on developing dental occlusion and the positive effect that upper airway relief can have on the ‘normalization’ of various malocclusion patterns believed to be related to chronic obligate mouth breathing. Objective: To study the effect of airway relief (usually through tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy) on various patterns of dental malocclusion. Methods: Children coming to the office of the lead author (D.J.W.) found to be obligate mouth breathers and who also had dental malocclusion had Polaroid ‘bite’ pictures taken at the time of their initial visit. One year or more after their surgery for upper airway relief (tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in these cases) a second ‘bite’ photograph was taken and compared to the first. Results: In all cases selected in this study there was observed improvement in their dental occlusion within a year following surgery to improve their breathing. Conclusion: It is the opinion of the authors of this paper that upper airway obstruction may have a negative effect on the developing transitional dental occlusion and that eliminating the cause of upper airway obstruction can lead to ‘normalization’ of occlusion in such children. Further orthodontic corrective modalities may be required for optimal occlusal results.

Last resort fix up before suicide over jacked teeth

admin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:43:12 +0000

Yes, we received this message when a patient contacted our office. This was what he told us he googled to find 21st Century Dental. Fortunately, we provide Snap-On Smiles, as well as many other cosmetic options, such as porcelain veneers, lumineers, short term orthodontics and Invisalign, but no one had quite used this phrase to look for help. In marketing, we call this the “long tail”. If you need to know what this means, you can ask when you come in for YOUR “last resort fix up”

Short Term Orthodontics

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:36:07 +0000

Q: Is there a fast way to get teeth straight without looking like a metal mouth?

Dr. Smith: Yes, there is. It’s called “short term orthodontics”, or STO for short. Another name for it is “six month smiles“, because that’s how long the average case takes to treat. The brackets and wires are all tooth-colored, and the wire is nickel-titanium (coated to make it tooth-colored), which is what makes this treatment move teeth so efficiently. Treatment is usually from 3 to 9 months, with some taking a bit longer, but on average, it is about 3 times quicker than Invisalign or traditional orthodontics.