Orthodontists: Stop Treating Airway Alone | 5MF
What if expanding the palate is only one piece of the airway puzzle — but we’re treating it like the entire solution? I believe orthodontists have an important role to play in airway and sleep-disordered breathing, but that doesn’t mean we should try to do everything ourselves. Expansion can be incredibly valuable, but treatment should start with the right diagnosis — and that diagnosis often requires an interdisciplinary team. In this Five Minute Friday, I explain why my airway cases routinely involve ENTs, oral surgeons, and myofunctional therapists, and why I believe collaboration should happen before treatment rather than only after something doesn’t work. Every patient deserves to have their symptoms, anatomy, imaging, and other relevant findings evaluated so the team can determine what may actually be contributing to the problem. 💬Quotes “For every patient, there are multiple treatment modalities, but only one correct diagnosis.” — Dr. Glenn Krieger, quoting Morty Amsterdam “The overwhelming majority of orthodontists are under-treating airway and sleep-disordered breathing. But there’s a right way and a wrong way. The right way is to be part of a team.” — Dr. Glenn Krieger 🎯 Key Takeaways Intro: A different conversation about airway and sleep-disordered breathing (00:38) Why the airway conversation needs more diagnosis and teamwork (01:44) Expansion can help — but it isn't the entire answer (01:50) What true interdisciplinary airway care looks like (02:08) Why treating airway alone can miss the underlying problem (02:50) Multiple treatment modalities, but one correct diagnosis (03:13) How I incorporate oral surgeons, ENTs, and myofunctional therapists (03:41) Why airway treatment shouldn't simply be about expansion (04:40) The philosophy behind the Airway & Sleep meeting (05:01) What orthodontists can learn from myofunctional therapists and ENTs (05:19) Why every patient needs an effective diagnosis (06:03) How I work through an airway case with my interdisciplinary team (06:20) Why diagnosis matters more than getting a same-day start (07:05) The problem with treating first and referring only when necessary (07:19) Airway & Sleep meeting in Scottsdale + opairway.com (07:32) Final takeaway: Expansion is valuable, but teamwork is essential (07:53) 🟦 Additional Resources If you’re treating airway and sleep-disordered breathing, don’t make expansion the diagnosis. Diagnose first, collaborate with the right specialists, and then determine what treatment actually makes sense for that patient. That’s exactly why I created the Airway & Sleep meeting in Scottsdale. Bring an ENT. Bring an oral surgeon. Come learn what each member of the interdisciplinary team should be looking for, how we should communicate with one another, and how we can make better decisions together. 👉 Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 👉 For more information about Orthopreneurs, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/ 👉 Become an OrthoPreneur and join the free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/




