Dr. Green pairs that training with something few practices in Broward County offer, objective acoustic measurement of the airway itself rather than visual assessment alone. She is an active member of the Airway Circle professional community and earned her Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry after more than 500 hours of advanced continuing education, much of it in craniofacial sleep medicine. Airway care anchors the full range of dental services in Fort Lauderdale we provide, and this page walks you through how an evaluation works, what the warning signs look like, and which treatment paths exist.
What Is Airway Dentistry
Airway dentistry evaluates how your oral structures affect your ability to breathe, especially during sleep. The position of your tongue, the width of your palate, the alignment of your jaw, and the size of your airway all determine whether air moves freely while you rest. When those structures crowd the airway, breathing becomes shallow or repeatedly stops, and your body pays for it with fragmented sleep and chronic stress on the heart and brain.
Traditional dental visits focus on teeth and gums. Airway dentistry looks at the whole system that connects your mouth to your breathing, which is why the American Dental Association recognizes dentists as a frontline screening point for obstructive sleep apnea. Dentists often see the warning signs first, including worn teeth from grinding, a scalloped tongue, a high narrow palate, and enlarged tonsils.
How We Measure Your Airway With Pharyngometer and Rhinometer Technology
Most practices evaluate the airway by looking at it. We measure it. DG Dental uses acoustic pharyngometry and rhinometry, technology that sends harmless sound waves through your airway and maps its exact dimensions in seconds. The pharyngometer measures the size, volume, and collapsibility of your throat airway. The rhinometer evaluates how freely air moves through your nasal passages and where resistance occurs.
This objective data changes everything about treatment. Instead of fitting an oral appliance by trial and error, Dr. Green can identify the precise jaw position that opens your airway the most and build your appliance to that measurement. The result is treatment matched to your anatomy, not an estimate. Combined with 3D cone beam imaging, sleep screening, and a detailed examination of your oral structures, these measurements give you answers most patients have never been able to get from a dental visit.
Signs of an Airway Problem in Adults and Children
In adults, the most common warning signs are loud or chronic snoring, gasping or breathing pauses witnessed by a partner, morning headaches, daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, teeth grinding, acid reflux, and high blood pressure that resists treatment. Many adults who cannot tolerate a CPAP machine simply stop treating their sleep apnea altogether, which leaves the underlying health risks unaddressed.
In children and teens, airway problems often wear a disguise. Mouth breathing, restless sleep, bedwetting beyond the typical age, dark circles under the eyes, and behavior or attention struggles that resemble ADHD can all trace back to restricted breathing during sleep. Because children are still growing, identifying these issues early gives treatment the best chance to guide healthy development.
Airway Treatment Options at DG Dental
After your evaluation, Dr. Green builds a treatment plan around what your airway measurements actually show. Depending on your needs, that plan may include:
- Custom oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea treatment, fitted to your measured airway dimensions as a comfortable alternative to CPAP
- Precision sleep and sports mouthguards that protect teeth from grinding while supporting an open airway position
- TMJ treatment when jaw joint dysfunction and airway restriction occur together, which they frequently do
- Airway screening as part of pediatric dentistry visits so developing problems are caught while growth can still be guided
- Advanced diagnostic imaging through our in-office dental technology, including 3D cone beam scans of the airway and sinuses
When your care calls for support beyond our walls, such as myofunctional therapy or a physician-supervised sleep study, we coordinate referrals with trusted providers and stay involved in your care from start to finish.
How Dr. Green Approaches Airway Care
Dr. Green combines clinical precision with a measured, evidence-based process. Every airway patient begins with a comprehensive evaluation that includes acoustic airway measurement, imaging, sleep screening, and a review of your medical history and any prior sleep study results. She then explains what the data shows in plain language and walks you through realistic options, including when a referral to a sleep physician is the right first step.
Because Dr. Green has obtained credentialing with major medical insurance providers, oral appliance therapy for diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea is frequently covered under medical insurance rather than dental insurance, and our team handles the claims process on your behalf. That credentialing is rare among dental practices and removes the cost barrier that keeps many patients from treating their sleep apnea at all.
What to Do if You Suspect an Airway Issue
Start by writing down what you or your family have noticed, including snoring, breathing pauses, morning headaches, or unrefreshing sleep, and how long it has been happening. If you have ever had a sleep study, locate the results, because they help us understand your starting point. Then schedule an airway evaluation. The assessment is noninvasive, takes a single visit, and gives you objective measurements rather than guesses. If your evaluation points to obstructive sleep apnea that has not been formally diagnosed, we coordinate testing with a physician before beginning treatment, so every step follows accepted medical standards.
Schedule Your Airway Evaluation in Fort Lauderdale
Dr. Dory Green brings advanced training in craniofacial sleep medicine, membership in the Airway Circle professional community, and objective acoustic measurement technology to every airway evaluation. Her practice combines that clinical depth with a comfortable, spa-like office where patients are heard, measured, and given real answers. DG Dental accepts Aetna, Cigna, Delta Dental, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare, along with all out-of-network PPO plans, and medical insurance frequently applies to airway treatment.
Better breathing can potentially improve your sleep, energy, blood pressure, and quality of life. Call DG Dental at (954) 524-2300 or schedule your comprehensive airway evaluation through our contact form to find out what your airway measurements reveal.
