Starting from when I was a child, I began mouth breathing and having asthma issues, especially due to allergies to pets. I could not run in P.E. because it would cause an asthmatic reaction. Now at 26 years old, I only experience asthma as an allergic response to pet dander, but I still cannot breathe through my nose for the most part because I feel like I do not get enough air unless I mouth breathe.
I have always had a pretty severe overbite and teeth crowding, so in my teens I had braces to try to align my teeth and fix my bite. The aesthetics of my teeth have improved, but they told me they could not fully treat my overbite without removing teeth, which I declined.
Over the past 3-4 years, I have been experiencing worsened posture, neck pain, jaw pain, shoulder pain, TMJ issues, and headaches. I could not figure out what was wrong with me, but I knew my jaw was underdeveloped. I was not able to connect the issues until I saw one of Dr. Alfi’s videos on my TikTok for you page discussing the connection between small jaws and all the issues I have. Since then, I have had a consultation with him, at which he said I was a great candidate for jaw surgery due to my extremely restricted airway. I have also done a sleep study at CSMA where I was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea, having 26 sleep apnea episodes per hour, on average. My next step is to have orthodontic treatment for about 6 months before I can receive double jaw surgery to increase airway size.
I feel very fortunate to have found Dr. Alfi’s videos and I am passionate now about airway health. I wish dentists and doctors were more educated on this topic as a lot of health issues can be related back to the aiway. I hope sharing this story will help someone get the correct treatment they need, instead of receiving treatment for only their symptoms.
