- 63-109 Saunders St # Ba2, Rego Park, NY 11374
- (929) 229-1009
Beyond Smiles Orthodontics offers airway-focused orthodontic treatment for patients across Syosset, evaluating jaw structure, palate width, tongue posture, and breathing patterns alongside every smile.
Traditional orthodontics focuses on aligning teeth and correcting bites. Airway orthodontics takes a broader view, considering how the structure of the jaws, palate, and oral cavity affects breathing, sleep, and long-term health. Dr. Yelizar is a board-certified Syosset orthodontist who evaluates the airway as part of every comprehensive treatment plan, and who offers targeted interventions for patients, especially children, whose orthodontic needs intersect with breathing and sleep concerns. Schedule a consultation to have your bite, palate, and airway evaluated together.
Airway orthodontics, sometimes called airway-focused orthodontics or orthodontic airway treatment, refers to an approach that incorporates the upper airway into orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. The premise is straightforward: the teeth, jaws, tongue, and airway all occupy the same space and influence each other. An orthodontic plan that ignores the airway may produce a straight smile that sits on top of an unaddressed breathing problem.
Normal nasal breathing keeps the tongue resting against the roof of the mouth (the palate). This upward tongue pressure helps the palate develop wide and forward. Mouth breathing drops the tongue to the floor of the mouth, removing this pressure. Without it, the palate often develops narrow and high-arched, the upper jaw can become constricted, and the lower jaw may drop into a retruded position.
In adults and older children, restricted tongue mobility can contribute to an inferior tongue resting posture that crowds the posterior airway during sleep, increasing the risk of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Assessment of tongue mobility is a routine part of airway-focused orthodontic evaluation at Beyond Smiles Orthodontics.
Structural factors that orthodontics can address, narrow palates, retrognathic lower jaws, restricted tongue posture, can contribute to pediatric sleep-disordered breathing. When a child presents with signs of poor sleep quality alongside orthodontic findings consistent with airway compromise, airway-focused treatment planning can be part of a collaborative approach with the child’s pediatrician, ENT, or sleep specialist.
In particular, extraction-based orthodontic treatment, removing premolars to create space for crowded teeth, has been a subject of ongoing discussion in the orthodontic literature regarding its effects on arch width and posterior airway space. At Beyond Smiles Orthodontics, Dr. Yelizar evaluates extraction decisions carefully and, where possible, prefers non-extraction approaches that maintain or improve arch width and tongue space. Every case is individual, and sometimes extractions are the right clinical choice, but this decision is made with the full picture in mind, not as a default protocol.
A consultation at Beyond Smiles Orthodontics includes evaluation of the teeth, bite, and jaws, but also incorporates a review of breathing patterns, tongue posture and mobility, tonsil size, nasal airflow, and sleep quality when relevant. You won’t be handed a standard treatment plan without these factors being considered.
We serve patients from Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Elmhurst, Corona, and across Syosset who are looking for orthodontic care that goes beyond cosmetics. Our office is located at 63-109 Saunders St #BA2, Rego Park, NY 11374.
Whether you’re a parent concerned about your child’s breathing and development, or an adult who wants orthodontic treatment planned with your long-term health in mind, contact Beyond Smiles Orthodontics to schedule a consultation. We’ll take the time to evaluate the full picture, and give you an honest, thorough assessment of what we see.
Questions about airway orthodontics in Syosset? Here are the ones we hear most often from parents and patients exploring this approach to care. If you need more information, please contact our office.
An underbite occurs when the lower front teeth sit in front of the upper front teeth when biting down — the reverse of a normal bite. It can range from mild (a few teeth slightly out of position) to severe (a significant jaw discrepancy affecting the entire bite and facial profile). The clinical term is Class III malocclusion.
No — and underbites with a skeletal component typically get worse over time, particularly during growth spurts. A mild underbite in a young child can become a moderate or significant problem by the late teens if left untreated. Early evaluation is the best way to understand whether the problem is stable, progressing, or in a window where treatment can make a meaningful difference.
It depends on the cause and severity. Underbites caused by an underdeveloped upper jaw respond best to facemask treatment between ages 7–10, before the sutures of the upper jaw begin to fuse. Functional appliances for growing tweens and teens can help during the active growth phase. After growth is complete, orthodontic treatment alone addresses dental components; significant skeletal cases may require surgery. The AAO recommends a first evaluation by age 7 — this is especially important for underbites.
Not necessarily — and often not, if treatment begins early enough. The facemask and other growth-modification appliances used during childhood and early adolescence can correct or significantly reduce the underlying jaw discrepancy without surgery. Surgery becomes a consideration primarily for adults with a significant skeletal underbite that was never addressed during the growth window. Dr. Yelizar will be direct with you about whether surgery is genuinely necessary or whether orthodontic treatment can achieve a result you’ll be satisfied with.
Yes, in cases where the underbite is primarily dental — meaning the teeth are positioned in a way that creates a reversed bite without a true jaw size discrepancy. Braces or aligners can reposition teeth to correct the bite relationship. For underbites with a skeletal component in adults, braces improve the bite but cannot change the jaw relationship itself. Dr. Yelizar will help you understand exactly what orthodontic treatment can achieve in your specific case.
A facemask (also called reverse pull headgear) is an appliance worn at home — typically 12–14 hours per day — that applies gentle forward traction to the upper jaw using a frame that rests against the forehead and chin. It’s most effective in children ages 7–10, before the upper jaw sutures begin to fuse, and is used to encourage forward growth of the upper jaw to correct an underbite caused by maxillary underdevelopment. It’s not visible during school hours and children adapt to it quickly.
Relapse risk exists for underbites, particularly those with a skeletal component. Retainers are essential after treatment to hold the corrected tooth positions. For cases treated during growth, Dr. Yelizar monitors through the remaining growth period to catch any tendency toward relapse early. In patients where significant lower jaw growth continues into the late teens, additional treatment may sometimes be needed to maintain the correction.
For dental underbites — where the bite is reversed due to tooth position rather than a true jaw discrepancy — yes, absolutely. For skeletal underbites in adults, orthodontic treatment can improve the bite relationship and appearance significantly, though it works within the constraints of where the jaws sit. The more severe the jaw discrepancy, the more limited orthodontics alone becomes. Dr. Yelizar will give you an honest picture of what’s achievable without surgery in your specific case, and what surgery would add if it’s relevant.
Most dental insurance plans with orthodontic benefits cover underbite correction as part of comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Early intervention (Phase 1) may also be covered, though lifetime maximums apply. Our team will review your plan before treatment begins so you have a complete picture of coverage and out-of-pocket costs.
Common signs include lower front teeth that are visible in front of the upper teeth when biting down, a chin that appears to protrude, difficulty biting into food, a jaw that shifts to one side when closing, and sometimes speech difficulties. If you’ve noticed any of these, a consultation with Dr. Yelizar will give you a clear picture of what’s happening and whether any action is needed.
We accept the vast majority of orthodontic insurance plans. Even if you don’t see your provider listed on our website, it’s worth calling our office to double-check your coverage. Orthodontic insurance can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses, after all, and you won’t have to worry about paperwork – we’ll handle your claims on your behalf.
