Can airway dentistry help with TMJ and sleep apnea?

Primary Focus: Evaluating how your oral anatomy (jaw, tongue, and teeth) impacts your breathing and sleep quality.
Common Symptoms: Snoring, daytime fatigue, mouth breathing, and chronic jaw or neck pain.
The Goal: To prevent the collapse of airway tissues during sleep and restore natural, patterned breathing.
Key Conditions: Often used to treat Sleep Apnea, TMJ disorders, and narrow dental arches.
Treatment Options: Range from myofunctional therapy (exercises) and custom oral appliances to orthodontics.
Long-Term Benefits: Reduces the risk of severe health complications like stroke, high blood pressure, and cardiac arrest.

Question

Accepted Answer

Airway dentistry can help address TMJ disorders and sleep apnea because these conditions are often related. Issues like restricted airways, jaw positioning, and breathing problems often contribute to or worsen both TMJ pain and sleep-disordered breathing.

The Connection Between Airway, TMJ, and Sleep Apnea

When your airway is restricted during sleep, your body compensates by repositioning the jaw forward to keep the airway open. This constant muscular effort can strain the temporomandibular joint, leading to pain, clicking, and dysfunction. TMJ issues can also affect jaw position, which in turn can narrow the airway and contribute to sleep apnea.

Many patients with sleep apnea also experience:


	Morning jaw pain or soreness
	Teeth grinding (bruxism)
	Headaches upon waking
	Clicking or popping in the jaw joint


How Airway Dentistry Helps Both Conditions

At Dental Wellness of Charlotte, our airway dentistry approach evaluates airway anatomy, jaw position, and breathing patterns during sleep. Custom oral appliances can provide relief from both conditions by supporting proper jaw alignment and ensuring that air flows freely during sleep. 

Book an Evaluation to Get Started

Your dentist in Charlotte, NC, will conduct a comprehensive exam to determine whether airway issues are contributing to your TMJ problems or sleep apnea. Please call Dental Wellness of Charlotte to schedule an appointment.