At the age of 69 I was looking for a new dental provider and my daughter had a chance meeting with a kind dentist whom I’d heard of in passing. I went to him expecting routine dental work and wanted to correct the crowded appearance of my lower teeth. For decades I also had painful cuts on both sides of my tongue that no medical provider ever addressed. My new dentist recognized that my jaw did not develop properly to accommodate my tongue after I had permanent bridges placed at the age of 14. He did cone beam ct scans and recognized my airways were restricted and suggested I go for a sleep study. For years I had been dealing with fibromyalgia and never felt rested after what I believed to be a long night’s sleep. With this dentist’s help I learned the negative impact that my dental health and restricted airway had on my overall health. A pulmonologist prescribed a cpap machine to support my airway while sleeping and the dentist simultaneously began orthodontic work to bring my lower jaw forward and correct my bite. He also recognized an oral restriction that improved with the support of a myofunctional therapist in his office. I did not need to get a tongue tie revision thanks to the work we did in myofunctional therapy. Since having the braces removed I was given another scan that showed my airway had opened up more. With the help of this dentist and the continued use of my cpap machine I have more energy than I used to, and aesthetically my teeth look great.
