When I was in dental school, I was taught nothing about how airway health contributes to overall health. Nothing about sleep or sleep apnea. Nothing about the tongue except that it was an obstruction to get to the teeth and that my life would be a lot easier if I could cut it out.
My first job out of dental school was with a DSO. They put an emphasis on continuing education. In the three years I worked for them, I took about 200 hours of CE courses. If they offered it, I said yes. So when an orthodontics course came up, I gave them my usual response: “Sure. Sign me up.” That first ortho course was a game changer for me. It talked about expansion and sleep quality for kids. I was instantly hooked that there could be a way of dentistry that would provide more optimal health for my patients.
At the time my practice was a very traditional family dental practice. My schedule during the week was packed with crowns, fillings and general family dentistry. But after that first orthodontics course, on the weekends, I would venture off to another city to learn more about tongue ties, TMD, ortho & the airway. If there ever was a stereotypical CE junkie, it was me.
The pieces of the tongue/dental/ortho/airway puzzle all came together for me when I took a course on Orthotropics®. Orthotropics® is a facial growth guidance technique that develops the jaws up and out in the face. A successful result includes a wide smile that is complete to the corners of the mouth, a strong profile, an esthetically balanced face AND a large healthy airway.
