While I may have used the term Airway-Friendly Orthodontics years ago, looking back I think it was a mistake to use that term and it’s OK to grow and change.

Airway-friendly orthodontics is arguably one of the worst terms that you can use and some have seized on it to make a dangerous point. In this episode, I want to lay out the case of why this is a terrible term but an important issue.

I am not an airway-friendly orthodontist; I am an orthodontist. And that means that I look at far more than just the bite.

As orthodontists, our expertise lies in altering skeletal patterns and altering tooth position. If I can expand a child who's six years old, whose pediatrician has given up on them, whose family is going through immense distress, I will. Especially if I'm part of an interdisciplinary team.

It deeply troubles me when individuals propagate rhetoric that dissuades orthodontists from shouldering the responsibility to help patients in need.

Such misleading narratives hinder progress in our field and harm those who could greatly benefit from appropriate orthodontic interventions.

And they prey on the term “airway-friendly orthodontics” as if that’s the problem.

As with any field, there may be instances of over-treatment by some practitioners, but these should not overshadow the importance of addressing legitimate airway concerns in children and adults.

Tune in to this episode to hear me argue against the term' Airway-Friendly Orthodontics and for the need for all of us to help the kids and adults who are falling through the cracks in the medical system.'

Key Takeaways

- My case against airway-friendly orthodontics (00:35)

- Why are people expanding four-year-olds? (01:04)

- Are people expanding way too much? (02:10)

- The loudest voices often are the least educated on the literature (03:01)

- The role of the AAO (06:42)

- I am not an airway-friendly orthodontist (11:10)

Additional Resources

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