The Link Between Airway and Dental Issues

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

At Eggert Family Dentistry, we recognize the importance of a thorough dental evaluation. When you or your child come in for an exam, we don’t just attend to your teeth and gums. We make it our business to examine your muscles, jaw, and airway as well. We want to ensure that your tongue is functioning properly, that you have a broad upper arch, are able to breathe easily through your nose, and are swallowing correctly.

Why are we so thorough?

Many people don’t realize that they’re struggling with airway issues because the bulk of the symptoms manifest themselves while we’re asleep. Also, the body is so good at adapting, sometimes what someone knows as “their normal” isn’t necessarily the most “healthy normal.” Luckily, Dr. Elizabeth and Dr. Jeff understand the connection between a variety of dental problems and how they may be linked to airway issues. For example, all of these dental problems that we check for during a regular dental examination can be linked to airway issues:

  • Bruxism
  • Functional tooth wear and fracture
  • TMD/myofascial pain
  • Malocclusion
  • Erosion
  • Periodontal disease
  • Caries
  • Abfractions (severe gum tissue recession)
  • Impacted teeth
  • Orthodontic or orthognathic relapse

The intersection of dental issues and airway: A couple examples

Nocturnal bruxism, or teeth grinding, is not uncommon in children and some doctors will tell parents it “normal.” We now understand that often tooth grinding, especially in children at night, often occurs because of a restricted airway. In fact, the connection between bruxism and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is so strong that bruxism is now acknowledged as a clinical marker for SDB and children with this disorder should consider a sleep screening.

Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) is another type of sleep disordered breathing. Unlike sleep apnea, patients with UARS typically don’t completely stop breathing, however, the resistance of air through the airway causes multiple micro-arousals throughout the night. This often creates fatigue because the body is never able to reach the deeper and reparative stages of sleep. UARS also causes more stress hormones to be released into the body as a mechanism to help the body maintain an open airway. These extra stress hormones often lead to an increase of inflammatory markers and can be linked to inflammatory diseases like hypertension, diabetes, TMD, cancer, among others.

Fortunately, a thorough dental examination can help detect a wide variety of dental problems that may be caused by or contributing to airway issues and/or sleep disordered breathing. Our dental exams go above and beyond simply looking for cavities and help you achieve and maintain optimal wellness.

Want to learn more?

If you’re interested in the connection between dental problems and airway issues, we highly recommend these books:

Sleep Interrupted by Steven Park, MD
No More Allergies, Asthma or Sinus Infections by Dr. Lori Jones
Close Your Mouth by Patrick McKeown
The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown

If you are concerned that dental issues are causing airway issues for you or your child, contact Eggert Family Dentistry or give us a call at 651.482.8412!

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