I recently attended the annual meeting of the national bioesthetics organization. The theme this year was “The Airway”. We spent two days learning about the passageway which allows air to travel from the outside into our lungs.
You may ask yourself, why a dentist needs to know about this. I would have asked myself the same question 5 years ago. With my bioesthetic training, I realize the airway is an integral part of chewing system function.
The topics covered anatomy of the airway, sleep apnea, growth and development as influenced by the ability to breath, and even how an obstructed airway can contribute to attention deficit disorder.
If you have contact with children, watch them and see if they can breathe through their nose. If they hang their mouth open to breath they may have a problem. Also if they have dark circles under their eyes, they may also be having trouble breathing. Snoring at night is another symptom. If the breathing problem can be corrected early in life, it may save having many problems later on.
Have a wonderful thanksgiving.
