Breath, Sleep, Renew, Thrive

 

Why or how can the airway and sleep be related to dental health? 

This often overlooked relationship can directly and deeply affect everyone from before our birth in pregnancy, in infancy, through early childhood and all the way through our adult lives and into affecting our deaths. As a result of this overview we have come to realize the primary purpose of the teeth in both development and function is to maintain a functioning airway throughout life.

 

In pregnancy:

Pregnant mothers have two significant over looked issues that may affect the healthy growth, proper development and the future life of the fetus adversely. Those two issues affect oxygen (O2) in the delivery and utilization of that O2 to the developing fetus during the entire pregnancy.  Or stated differently, not having enough oxygen on the hemoglobin (on the red blood cell) of the mother, or not having enough residual carbon dioxide level at the tissue level in the mother.

 

Low Oxygen (O2) delivery to the tissue, Apnea’s and UARS

This transfer of O2 to the developing fetus’ blood vascular system is necessary for healthy development and depends on a successful transfer of this O2 through the placenta

 

Apneic events can significantly cut off or lower O2 levels during sleep.

The fetus significantly blocks the diaphragm’s function when laying down for sleep. 

One hundred percent of pregnant women are severely apneic in the third trimester. 

One hundred percent of them should be sleeping with a C-pap or in a Barco-lounger. 

Upper airway restriction syndrome (UARS), too small a breathing straw restricts O2. 

Both apnea and UARS are under diagnosed or under managed during pregnancy.  

Both of these O2 restrictive conditions may lead or contribute to premature births.   

Both of these O2 restrictive conditions may lead to pregnancy complications. 

Low O2 levels during pregnancy affect long bone growth and development.

 

Low oxygen (O2) utilization because of low tissue carbon dioxide (CO2)

Low residual tissue levels of CO2 block oxygen from coming off the red blood cell.

Oxygen must come off the red blood cell to transfer to the fetus.

Low CO2 levels in the mother lower CO2 levels in the fetus.

Proper residual levels of CO2 are necessary for a fetus to utilize the blood’s oxygen.  

Residual tissue level of CO2 is lowered to dangerous levels by rapid breathing. 

Anxiety triggers rapid breathing.

Rapid breathing lowers residual CO2 levels in the tissue of the mother and fetus.

Lower CO2 levels trigger anxiety.

Rapid over breathing, its lowering of CO2 may be a major trigger of fetal distress. 

This fetal distress may be responsible for many C-sections.

 

In infancy from birth:

It starts at birth with being able to breath.

In being able to breath through the nose and feed at the same time.

By having a normal non-vaulted and flatted pallet for successful nursing.

By lacking restricting tongue-ties or frenum attachments interfering with a seal.

By not being able to latch and provide adequate suction with the tongue. 

 

All of these directly linked events or conditions set a course that can affect these infants’ health, growth and avoidable complication for a lifetime. 

 

Below are a partial list of additional events, conditions and consequences of not maintaining this necessary and adequate airway in infancy. 

 

From childhood:

From failing to develop a strong broad functional tongue.

Not developing a tongue that separates and flattens a malleable pallet.

A failure to maintain that open airway throughout all growth and development.

Failing to grow the teeth outward laterally and forward to maintain that airway.

Not being able to breath in sleep or to nose breath in sleep.

Not producing the anti-inflammatory molecule NO because lack of nasal breathing.

Not preventing or avoiding SIDs. 

Not separating the hamular processes through proper function and normal growth.

Hamular process not moving their muscles off the eustachian tubes and a blockage.

Not getting recurrent inner-ear infections from that blockage of those tubes.

Avoiding getting surgery and ear tubes.

Avoiding needing multiple antibiotic treatments.

Not losing the necessary healthy symbiotic biome received from the mother.

Avoid losing the energy produced by that healthy biome for that healthy gut lining.

Avoiding losing the integrity of a healthy gut lining.

Not gaining a leaky gut and developing early food, protein and bacterial allergies. 

Avoiding colic.

Avoiding asthma.

Avoiding autism. 

Avoiding sleep disruption/sleep difficulties.

Avoiding bedwetting.

Avoiding restless leg syndrome. 

Developing a compensating airway opening head forward posture.

Avoiding mouth breathing, eating with the mouth open and rapid eating.

Avoiding learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, hypo or hyperactivity.

Avoiding early/childhood obesity.

Avoiding early childhood decay and unnecessary dental treatments.

 

 

 

As adults: some of the conditions and symptoms directly related

Shortened development of the lower face from front to back.

Lengthened development of the lower face from top to bottom and gummy smile. 

High vaulted pallet, narrow posterior arch form or cross bite.

Retarded growth of the lower jaw, retruded tongue and blockage of the throat. 

Deviated septum, top to bottom, front to back.

Non-patent, non-functioning upper nasal airway, narrowing of the airway, UARS.

Large neck, large jaws, large round or fat checks, loss of normal chin contour.

The loss of development of the necessary space for third molars.

A need for third molar removal.

Swollen sinuses, nasal membranes, sinus problems, recurrent infections and colds. 

Swollen tonsils, adenoids.   

Loss of development of the necessary space for third molars.

A need for third molar removal.

A need for orthodontics.

Bruxing, clinching, grinding of the teeth.

Premature wear of the teeth.

Mobility of teeth.

Accelerated decay, sugar cravings.

Dental pain, sensitivity, breakage and early loss of teeth.

Localized periodontal disease, localized bone loss around teeth.

A pressure caused corrugation or indented borders of the tongue.

Head and neck pain.

Temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) pain, dysfunction, displacement and wear. 

Premature loss of vertical height of the lower face.

Extra bony jaw growths (exostosis).  

Bump on the bridge of the nose, actually a hinged down tip at a joint.

Poor sleep. 

Low energy, fatigue.

Disruptive sleep and shoulder issues.

Weight gain, obesity.

GERD.

Pulmonary disease, COPD.

Asthma. 

Diabetes.

High blood pressure. 

Depression.

Cardiac arrhythmias. 

Cardiovascular disease. 

Cerebrovascular disease. 

Dementia. 

Premature death.