Dental Airway Assessment

Chase Dental Sleepcare

Dental Sleep Medicine located in New York City, Long Island & NY Metro Area

A dental airway assessment is essential to maintaining good health. At Chase Dental SleepCare, the dental sleep specialists provide dental airway assessments, screening patients for obstructions and abnormalities to their airways. Dental airway assessments help identify conditions like sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome. Chase Dental SleepCare has several convenient locations in New York: East Meadow, Commack, Williston Park, and Hicksville in Long Island; Oakland Gardens and Sunnyside in Queens; Lenox Hill and the Upper East Side in Manhattan; Midwood in Brooklyn; Staten Island; and Scarsdale and Medford, New York. To schedule your assessment, call one of the offices today or book your appointment online.

Dental Airway Assessment Q & A

What is a dental airway assessment?

If you or your dentist suspects obstructive sleep conditions like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or upper airway resistance syndrome, a dental airway assessment is the first step in diagnosing and treating your condition. If you snore, a dental airway assessment is essential to determining the cause of your condition.

During your in-office dental airway assessment, your dentist performs a number of different evaluations recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA). Depending on your assessment, you may require a referral to a sleep specialist.

Your assessment begins with a discussion of your breathing, sleeplessness, and other indicators of obstructive sleep issues. The specialists at Chase Dental SleepCare use a simple physical examination known as the Mallampati score to tell if you're experiencing airway obstruction.

To determine your Mallampati score, your dentist takes a look at the back of your throat. The score classifies your condition based on the visibility of your soft palate and uvula. If the structures in the back of your throat are partially or completely concealed, it's highly likely that you're suffering from airway obstruction.

If your Mallampati score indicates obstruction, the next step is a sleep study to definitively diagnose and determine the severity of your condition. You and your dentist decide between a home sleep test or an in-lab polysomnography.

What causes obstructed airways?

Airway obstruction is the main contributor to conditions like obstructive sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome. Obstructed airways can be caused by:

Naturally narrow airways
Narrow arch
Position of the tongue
Scalloped or enlarged tongue
Enlarged tonsils
Position of the teeth
Deviated septum
Allergies

Obesity and excess body weight are also major contributors to obstructed airways as excess fat near the airways can obstruct breathing. If you suffer from an obstruction-related sleep disorder, the specialists at Chase Dental SleepCare provide a number of innovative and effective treatment options.

What treatments are available?

At Chase Dental SleepCare the team takes a comprehensive approach to treating sleep-disordered breathing. Your dentist may combine a number of conventional and alternative treatments like epigenetics and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to address your specific needs.

Lifestyle changes like weight loss and maintaining a healthy body weight can also help relieve airway obstruction. The team at Chase Dental collaborates to develop a treatment plan designed to address your obstruction and restore your sleep health.

To speak with a dental sleep medicine specialist about your condition, book your appointment by phone or online.

We see patients in the following surrounding cities: Manhattan, NYC, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Call us to book your appointment today.