Airway/Sleep

Airway Health is the key to a long and healthy life.

Airway disease impacts breathing while you are awake and asleep. During sleep Airway Disease can be as mild as a slight purring or as violent as a minute long apnea (cessation of breathing). The lesser breathing dysfunction disturbs sleep architecture and can lead to neurological, psychological, learning and executive functioning problems. More severe apneas can cause heart and circulatory stress leading to heart arrhythmias, heart attacks, and strokes.

The airway extends from the opening of your nose to the base of your alveoli in your lungs.

There are 5 bodily systems that affect airway health. These systems are interrelated and complex.

The following is a brief synopsis of these systems.

The Brain

If you maintain a safe distance from processed sugar you will reap huge benefits to your airway health. Sugar boosts respiration which promotes oral (vs. nasal) breathing. Oral breathing is unhealthy in many ways. It causes overbreathing and a shift in bodily pH upward into the alkaline range. This imbalance throws off normal physiology. Oral breathing introduces air into the lungs that is unfiltered from dust particles, pollen, and bacteria, and un humidified.

Cranio facial growth and development

This happens at the hands of genetics AND the environment (epigenetics). Early intervention (sometimes as early as 1 day old infant) can change the direction of growth for the better. Proper upper jaw develpment is key to optimum airway health. Releasing tongue ties, promoting good myofunctional habits like exclusive nasal breathing, Healthy Start appliance wear at night starting at age 2 to train the tongue to be resting up on the roof of the mouth with the mouth closed. Avoiding processed sugar and flour will promote healthy nasal breathing.

Proper Oral Myofunction

Nasal breathing, tongue up on the roof of the mouth create a scenario where the tongue pushes up and out twice a minute every time you swallow. That action will push the upper jaw into a healthy position. If the upper jaw grows to the proper place and size then the sinuses will be able to pass air freely. Conversely when the jaw does not grow properly, the septum becomes deviated and the sinus cavity collapses.

Laryngeal Pharyngeal Reflux

(LPR aka. Silent Reflux) happens at night when the airway collapses or partially collapses and negative pressure pulls acid and pepsin up into the upper airway. Dentists can see redness in the back of your throat that is a cardinal sign of LPR. Mucous from this condition is many times mistakenly interpreted as Post Nasal Drip. The mucous makes the upper airway sticky and because of that more collapsable.

Proper Breathing Behavior

Every moment we are living we have complex ways to get the right amount of air for us to function. Breathing dysfunctionally (and there are several dozen ways to breathe dysfunctionally including but not limited to hyperventillation, hypoventillation, gasping, aborting breaths, holding your breath, sniffing). Each breathing method comes with a physiological consequence and or benefit. We breathe as we are looking for a way to solve our metabolic or respiratory challenges from moment to moment.

Dentists who are trained to treat airway can help patients make incremental progress toward better Airway Health regardless of their stage of life.

Please call to schedule your airway evaluation with Dr. Lehman.