Airway Case Study – 7 year old male By: Dr. Nishita Ondhita
- mouth breather day and night
- snoring
- grinding teeth
- restless sleep, excessive sweating
- frequent nighttime waking
- head and neck muscles are tight
- difficulty concentrating
- class III tongue tie
- tongue thrust swallow
- under-eye shiners
- speech issues
- forward head posture
- MD – sleep study diagnosed mild sleep apnea
- ENT recommend waiting for adenoid surgery, nasal spray recommended and used 1 year
- speech issues
- Lateral Ceph – narrow nasopharynx and oropharynx
- Panorex Xray — no space for all the adult teeth
- Clinically – severe wear on anterior primary teeth and severe lower anterior crowding
- delayed eruption for 7 year old
As an Airway Dentist, our role is to assist in developing the anatomy of the airway. We are not medical doctors and cannot diagnose sleep disorders or comment on tonsil/adenoid treatment plans.
The above patient was brought in by Mom as she has intuitively known her son has some airway issues for a very long time. She feels she has not been seen or heard or understood.
After the completion of an airway assessment at our office, we have noted several symptoms of SDB (Sleep Disordered Breathing). Patient has been diagnosed with Mild Sleep Apnea.
What is the treatment? It is multidisciplinary and while may of the disciplines advise waiting, dentists trained in Airway offer solutions to address the anatomy of the airway at a very young age.
For this patient, we are bonding upper and lower 3D printed expanders, turning every other day, to expand the palate, expand the floor of the nose, decrease airway resistance, increase the size of the nasal cavity and promote nasal breathing.
The other benefits of this treatment is to increase the arch length to create space for the adult teeth and to correct the jaw relationships, allowing the lower jaw to swing forward and create space for the tongue to function properly.
-Dr. Nishita Ondhia