Dakota Dental Offers Airway-Focused Dentistry to Children and Adult Patients

Apple Valley, MN, August 22, 2019 --(PR.com)-- Dakota Dental now offers airway-focused dentistry for both children and adult patients living with impaired airway clearance. Impaired airway clearance is linked to sleep disordered breathing - a condition characterized by repeated episodes of hypopnea (shallow breathing) or apnea (not breathing) during sleep.

When breathing is disrupted during sleep, the body thinks it’s choking, which leads to increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and arousal of the brain. Sleep deprivation can lead to a host of other health issues, ranging from academic, behavioral, developmental, physical, and social, as this condition can have lifelong effects on an individual’s development of the nervous system and brain.

Airway obstructions are often linked to asthma, seasonal allergies, and sleep apnea, which in recent years, has been associated with a host of diseases. This is especially true in children, as research continues to reveal that sleep-disorder breathing is associated with decreasing IQ scores over time. The American Dental Association (ADA) affirms that dentists can play a critical role in the risk assessment and referral for both diagnosis and treatment related to conditions caused by impaired airway clearance. Therefore, the primary focus of professional airway dentistry is to detect symptoms at an early age to help treat and prevent further health issues.

Patients experiencing disrupted sleeping patterns are encouraged to schedule a consultation at Dakota Dental to learn more about airway clearance treatments. During your consultation, your dental care team will listen to your concerns and evaluate your condition to determine the best path forward to helping you breathe healthier and easier every day.

In addition to treating sleep disordered breathing, Dakota Dental offers myofunctional therapy, a series of facial and tongue techniques and behavior modifications that are designed to improve breathing, bite, and orofacial posture. The clinic also specializes in tongue frenuloplasty services, which is available to patients living with ankyloglossia, also known as a tongue-tie.