The TMJ Sleep and Breathe Center

Our Holistic Approach

The biggest thing that makes us different than other airway orthodontist practices is our holistic approach to airway, orthodontic and TMJ treatment. Dentistry dramatically impacts overall health. Especially when it comes to breathing, sleep, posture and oral infection.

We Treat the Root Cause

We diagnose the root cause of our patient problems. The root cause factors are soft diets, tongue ties, lip ties, buccal ties and various developmental problems. These issues need to be addressed or our patients will not truly get better.

Slow Gentle Forces vs Heavy and Rapid

Additionally, we respect human biology and physiology in our treatments and we use appliances and protocols that apply forces that are as “light and biological” as possible. For example, we do not use extreme palatal expansion forces, but rather we use slow biological expansion (aka orthotropics). We do not believe heavy forces are necessary to get a good result and we do not want to risk negatively impacting cranial-facial or cranial-sacral balance.

Oral Infections can affect overall health

Finally, we evaluate all our patients for dental infections that may impact overall health. Dental infections do not just stay in the mouth, but can travel throughout the body. The most common places dental infections can effect are joints, lymphatics, the heart and cardiovascular system.

The worst oral infections usually stem from root canals and wisdom teeth extractions sites (aka cavitations). Mercury and metal toxins in amalgam fillings can cause system inflammation as well. For example, oral infections can cause inflammation in the TMJ, ear, neck and shoulders. Oral infections need to be ruled out in our treatment plans. Many oral infections are not painful and do not have any associated symptoms in the mouth.

Adult and Child Airway Orthodontics

Adult and child expanders and orthodontics are used to correct many structural problems with the jaws, teeth positions and facial profile. Sleep, breathing and posture depend on structural balance and the health of the teeth, jaws and facial bones. We use many different kinds of appliances and treatments depending on the patient situation. No one appliance or treatment is the best for every case. There is no one size fits all miracle device or treatment plan.

But, structural corrections alone will not produce a stable, functional and healthy result. Myofunctional and breathing therapy as well as posture correction need to be performed as well. All parts of the body are connected. Dysfunction of the jaws, head and neck usually are caused by problems with the airway, breathing patterns and skeletal system. It is all connected and needs to be considered.

What is a tongue tie?

It is a tight fiber that attaches the tongue to the front part of the lower jaw bone. The presence or absence of a tongue tie is not what is important. How well the tongue functions and moves is what matters. Tongue muscle tone, strength and range of motion are critical. Healthy swallow pattern. Can the tongue easily lift up into the palate and create an air-tight seal? Does the tongue have a wide shape and good tone during movement? Or does it get pointy and curl down when it is pushed out of the mouth?

Tied tongues do not move well. Tongue pressure during talking, swallowing and eating stimulates spacious development of the mouth, nose and face at a very young age. If the tongue cannot move well, the jaws and face will not grow large enough for healthy breathing patterns. People will have small breathing passageways. They will get choked by a large tongue especially during sleep. The tongue is the root cause of mouth breathing, airway resistance, snoring and many sleep problems.

What is Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is basically physical therapy for tongues. Tongue function is evaluated. Exercises are given to improve tongue:

• Range of motion
• Strength and muscle tone
• Swallow patterns
• Tongue posture flush on the palate
• Participation during healthy breathing patterns

When a tongue tie causes the tongue not to function properly, a qualified dentist and myofunctional therapist will order a functional tongue untie procedure. A functional procedure verifies the tongue can move properly during the surgical procedure. Laser assisted techniques are done quickly, painlessly and without any bleeding. Success of the procedure hinges on the the tongue being untied and the patient performing myofunctional tongue exercises after the procedure.

What is the role of the tongue?

The tongue puts pressure on the upper jaw and teeth. The pressure promotes growth of a wider palate wider palate and upper jaw. The hard palate forms the base of the nose. As the palate grows wider, people can fit more air through larger nasal spaces. If enough oxygen fits through nasal spaces, it is not necessary to open the mouth to breathe. If the nasal passageways are too small, the mouth will need to open to meet oxygen demands.

Posture Restoration Therapy

Many of our patients go back and forth between the dentist and chiropractor complaining about neck and back pain and headaches. The dentist usually hears about teeth clenching, TMJ and headaches. The chiropractor gets complaints about neck and back pain. The root cause of all the pain is poor skeletal development at a young age. People use the wrong muscles patterns to breathe when mouth breathing. Also, when breathing is restricted, different muscles need to be used in a more forceful way. The unhealthy muscle pressure literally causes the bones in the head, neck and back to grow to be the wrong size and shape for good posture. Over time, the body fatiques from performing with less than optimally shaped posture and function.