Airway Management with Vivos Treatment in Houston, TX

Proper facial growth and a good airway go hand in hand. It is generally accepted that facial growth is completed in females at approximately 17-18 years of age and in males at approximately 21-22 years of age. This growth process is genetically programmed in our DNA. When we grow properly, we are programmed to develop big broad upper and lower dental arches with enough room for all our 32 teeth. When this type of growth is achieved, an individual has a big, wide airway that will allow them to lead and have a healthy lifestyle.

Unfortunately, we are seeing many adults with compromised airways, with chronic health issues that are caused by or exacerbated by poor airway development. Many individuals are prescribed medications for these chronic health issues that only treat the symptoms and not the cause or causes that amplify the medical condition. In today’s environment, we are inundated with all kinds of information relating to getting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is difficult to understand how almost 50% of the adults in the United States are on prescription medications. This is much greater than 30 years ago and today we spend almost 30 times the amount on prescription medications than we did in 1990. How did we get we are today? 

Why Do People Suffer from a Poor Airway?

Surprisingly, this journey started hundreds of years ago when society moved on from a diet with a lot harder foods and riffage to a refined diet that is now commonplace. A common diet in Europe hundreds of years ago consisted of foods that required an individual a long time to chew their food properly. From a young age, children had to use the facial muscles along with the muscles of their mouth and throat to chew and swallow their food properly. This common diet promoted proper facial growth which in turn allowed for the development of a large open airway. 

Over the last 300 to 400 years diets in Western society have changed to what we have today “a refined diet” that does not require us to chew our food for a long time. Unfortunately, the results are an underdeveloped mouth with crowded teeth and a restricted airway due to the undeveloped upper and lower dental arches. Add this trend to a population that is becoming more overweight.

According to the CDC 40 to 45% of all adults are obese. The number of obese and severely obese people has doubled over the last 60 years. Since the early 1990’s Americans have become more aware of healthy eating habits and what good nutrition can do for us. But we continue to get larger, not smaller waistlines. Several things come to mind on what type of changes have occurred when trying to understand what is happening today and our battle with the waistline. A refined diet allows us to consume our calories without our bodies having to work extremely hard for them. For example, most foods in the grocery store are pre-packaged ready to eat foods. From baby food to the food, we eat as children and adults do not take much preparation, are easy to chew, and most times laded with calories. This type of eating has resulted in an overweight population with underdeveloped mouths.

Sleep-disordered Breathing and Sleep Apnea

It is no surprise that sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea are becoming more prevalent in the United States. It is an accumulation of factors that are becoming more and more commonplace in our society. These factors play an important role in the development of our facial growth. 

Genetically, most of us are programmed for full facial development that will allow us to have room for all 32 teeth properly spaced in our upper and lower jaw without crowding and in alignment. This growth allows us to form an airway that is more than sufficient. Having a large functioning airway will allow our body to get the proper amount of oxygen that our body needs. 

Breathing through our nose properly (nasal breathing) is paramount to a healthy lifestyle. If we are not able to breathe properly, chronic health issues can and will occur. Sleep-disordered breathing and even sleep apnea are becoming more prevalent in our children. They are not getting the proper and right amount of sleep. 

Unfortunately, this usually continues into their teens into their 20’s and 30’s. All of a sudden we have an adult who is oftentimes overweight has sleep apnea and now is taking prescription drugs to control their chronic health issues. Being able to sleep properly at night is paramount, this is when our body heals itself. If we are not able to sleep properly due to sleep-disordered breathing or sleep apnea it is only a matter of time before our overall health becomes threatened. One way to help children and adults with their breathing and sleep issues is Vivos. Vivos is a dental solution to a medical problem. 

Vivos is a revolutionary new treatment for sleep apnea that utilizes a proprietary combination of oral appliances. It uses patented technology to restore and reopen the airways to allow you to breathe easier at night once again.

The Vivos System is a non-invasive, non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical, multidisciplinary treatment modality for mild to moderate OSA that does not require lifetime care for most patients. The proprietary and virtually painless Vivos System enhances and increases the upper airway and offers patients what is believed to be the first truly effective non-surgical, non-invasive, and potentially lasting solution is one of a few mild sleep apnea treatments that seek to keep you breathing easily through the night while remaining as unobtrusive as possible while in use.

Vivos Treatment for Sleep-disordered Breathing in Houston, TX

If you know you snore at night, then it is worth scheduling a consultation at our office right away to see if you can benefit from the Vivos system. It is one of many oral appliances for sleep apnea we provide, and we will work with you to find a treatment that works for you. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Vivos treatment or scheduling a consultation, contact Ingenious Dentistry today. Call us at (713) 795-5905 for more information. 

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