- info@fivestarortho.com
- 2928 Metro St #102, Denton, TX 76207
Mixed Dentition: Functional Airway Orthodontics, Expansion & Alignment
April 2, 2027 - April 3, 2027
Course Description:
As children transition into mixed dentition, airway-focused orthodontic treatment becomes increasingly complex. Providers must consider not only airway, breathing, oral function, and craniofacial growth, but also eruption patterns, developing malocclusion, space management, skeletal relationships, and alignment of the permanent dentition.
This course builds upon the foundations of early airway and growth-focused intervention and takes participants through the evaluation and treatment of the mixed-dentition patient. We will explore the differences between traditional orthodontics and a functional airway-focused orthodontic approach, with an emphasis on looking beyond straight teeth and occlusion to consider the relationship between airway, function, facial growth, and long-term stability.
Participants will learn how to evaluate mixed-dentition patients, identify skeletal, dental, airway, and functional concerns, and develop comprehensive treatment plans incorporating expansion, growth guidance, space management, braces and alignment, myofunctional therapy, and interdisciplinary care.
Through clinical cases and practical workflows, participants will learn how to sequence treatment from diagnosis through expansion, alignment, finishing, and retention—and how to successfully integrate these concepts into everyday clinical practice.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, participants:
Understand the foundations of pediatric airway health and function, including the relationship between nasal breathing, sleep, tongue posture, oral function, and craniofacial growth and development.
Differentiate traditional orthodontic treatment from a functional airway-focused orthodontic approach, recognizing how treatment goals can expand beyond tooth alignment and occlusion to include airway, function, facial growth, and long-term stability.
Evaluate and diagnose the mixed-dentition patient from an airway, functional, and orthodontic perspective, identifying skeletal, dental, and functional contributors to crowding, transverse deficiency, malocclusion, and altered growth.
Develop and sequence comprehensive treatment plans for the mixed-dentition patient, incorporating expansion, growth guidance, space management, braces and tooth alignment, myofunctional therapy, and interdisciplinary referral when indicated.
Apply functional airway orthodontic principles to clinical practice, including appliance selection, treatment timing, orthodontic mechanics, case monitoring, and retention.
Implement functional airway orthodontics into daily practice by developing efficient clinical workflows for records, diagnosis, case presentation, appliance delivery, braces and alignment, progress monitoring, interdisciplinary collaboration, and retention—while creating systems that support both the clinical team and the patient experience.
