Airway Care at Restorative Sleep & TMJ

Breathing should be effortless. If it’s not, you’re in the right place.

You don’t have to live with fatigue, jaw pain, or restless sleep. For many patients, these symptoms trace back to one issue: poor airflow.

Your airway influences how well you sleep, how you feel during the day, and whether dental treatments actually hold up. When breathing is compromised, even slightly, everything starts to shift, from your teeth to your energy levels.

Most of the time, if symptoms keep coming back, there’s something deeper going on. We like to start with how you’re breathing; that’s where the real story tends to begin.

When Airway Dysfunction Is the Real Problem

Patients often come in with complaints like:

01.

Waking up exhausted

even after a full night’s sleep

02.

Daily headaches

or facial pain

03.

TMJ issues

that never fully resolve

04.

Grinding

or clenching at night

05.

CPAP doesn’t work

or no one explained why it was needed

06.

A long cycle

of dental work that doesn’t seem to last

Many of these are signs of undiagnosed airway dysfunction. Most dentists don’t check for it, but we do.

What We Look At

and Why

Dr. Russell starts with a simple question: What’s not adding up here?

When symptoms linger despite treatment, it usually means something deeper is going on. That’s why we take a closer look at the airway using detailed diagnostics and clinical insight.

Your evaluation may include:

Cone Beam CT to review airway space, joint position, and skeletal alignment

Home sleep testing to see how you’re breathing at night

TMJ and muscle assessment to understand function and compensation

Neurologic testing and photographs to evaluate posture and injury

Care coordination with other trusted providers as needed

We explain every step. You’ll know exactly what we’re seeing and what it means.

Long-term Airway Issues Can Begin in Childhood

We see a lot of adult patients with long-term airway issues, but many of those patterns begin in childhood. Small jaws, mouth breathing, snoring, or poor sleep in kids are often early signs of airway dysfunction. Parents, especially mothers, are usually the first to notice something isn’t right. If you’ve been told not to worry, but your gut says otherwise, you’re not overreacting. We take those concerns seriously and can help you figure out what’s really going on.

Treatment Grounded in what works

Airway care is about giving your body the support it needs to function the way it was meant to.

Treatments may include:

Custom oral appliance therapy to reposition the jaw and keep the airway open

Airway focused orthodontics with or without expansion

Combination therapy with CPAP, improving comfort, compliance and success

Platelet-rich fibrin for TMJ-related sleep issues

Nasal therapy using sprays, dilators, and conservative airway support

Evidence based supplement recommendations guided by targeted bloodwork

Evaluation of tongue ties and referral for management when appropriate

Treatment is based on what we see, not a pre-set formula. We target what’s needed and monitor what’s changing.

Getting Clarity Starts

with a Conversation

If you’re dealing with chronic symptoms that haven’t improved, or dental issues that keep coming back, it’s time to consider the airway.