Airway & Functional Dentistry

Our airway‑centered dental team evaluates how jaw size, tongue position, and oral posture influence breathing 24/7. By expanding arches, guiding facial growth, and releasing soft‑tissue restrictions, it is possible to reduce the severity of sleep‑disordered breathing, or possibly even resolve it!

Areas of focus

  • Complete and seamless integration with medical side of Sleep Medicine with patient-centered goals of therapy

  • Precision-selection of the right treatments for you, for the right reasons

Conditions we treat

  • Snoring

  • Pediatric & adult OSA

  • Mouth‑breathing

  • Narrow palate

  • Tongue‑tie

  • Bruxism

  • TMJ pain

Our approach

The Rebis approach means that we understand there is no “One Size Fits All” solution! This means that Airway Focused Dentistry at Rebis has *YOU* in mind, not any one specific approach. Our talented dental team will work alongside your medical team to help you choose the best dentistry strategy for you!

Our approaches include:

  • Collaboration and seamless integration with the Rebis medical professional team, using the same patient-centered complexity-deconstruction language from the Empowered Sleep Apnea educational project: the Five Finger Approach and The Five Reasons to Treat.

  • 3‑D Cone-Beam CT airway imaging allows precision guidance of approach, and can be billed through medical insurance (when plan allows)

  • Palatal expansion & growth guidance for pediatric patients

  • Appliance‑guided jaw development in children

  • Interdisciplinary plans with ENT or myofunctional therapy when needed

  • Myofunctional therapy for tongue and facial muscles

  • Frenectomy (tongue‑tie release)

  • Adult orthognathic and aligner therapies that widen the airway

Who benefits

Children needing early intervention, adults with CPAP intolerance, athletes seeking optimal oxygenation—anyone whose facial structure restricts airflow.

How it improves sleep & health

Airway focused dentistry is a growing field! Mandibular advancement device (MAD) therapy is now considered a “standard of care” consideration. The emerging field of airway-focused dentistry is contributing architectural solutions to this multi-dimensional and highly complex problem.

  • Chen Y, Zhang J, Gao X, Almeida FR. Efficacy and adherence of different mandibular advancement devices designs in treatment of obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2025 Mar 7:S0889-5406(25)00019-8.

    Lima Illescas MV, Aucapiña Aguilar DC, Vallejo Ledesma LP. A review on the influence of rapid maxillary expansion and mandibular advancement for treating obstructive sleep apnea in children. J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2023 Jan;47(1):9-16.