Orthodontics With an Airway-First Philosophy

At a Glance

• Options: early orthodontics, palatal expansion, metal or ceramic braces and clear aligners.
• Ages: first check from around five; no upper age limit for healthy teeth and gums.
• Typical length: six months for minor corrections to about two years for complex ones.
• First step: a free consultation with an approximate plan and quote.
• Appointments: Saturdays and Sundays available.
• Who treats you: general dentists with additional orthodontic training.
• Typical cost: most orthodontic and airway treatments here cost $4,000 to $9,750, with an approximate quote at your free consultation.

Why We Look at Breathing Before Braces

Teeth sit on jaws, and jaws shape the space a person breathes through. The width of the upper jaw forms the floor of the nose. The position of the lower jaw helps decide how much room the tongue has. Research on children’s facial growth links narrow jaws, mouth breathing and disturbed sleep with one another in some children (Harari et al., 2010; Huang & Guilleminault, 2013).

So before we plan any straightening, we look at how you or your child breathes, sleeps and grew. Sometimes what we find changes the treatment plan. Sometimes it rules problems out and lets everyone relax. Either way, you know, and the plan is built on the whole picture rather than the teeth alone.

Six Ways We Help

• Early orthodontics. Ages 5 to 10. Growth guidance while the face is still growing. An early check often ends in reassurance, and sometimes in simple treatment that heads off more complex treatment later.
• Palatal expansion. A gentle appliance that widens a narrow upper jaw in childhood, making room for adult teeth and widening the floor of the nose while the bone can still change.
• Braces. Modern metal or tooth-coloured ceramic. Precise, reliable, and planned to preserve tongue space wherever there is a genuine choice.
• Clear aligners. Nearly invisible and removable, with an honest suitability assessment first. Strong for many cases; wrong for some, and we say which.
• Adult orthodontics. Discreet options, gum-health-first planning, and weekend visits that fit around work.
• Airway & kids. Our flagship page on how breathing, sleep and facial growth connect, and what an airway check involves.
• Treatment costs. What each option costs, what is included, and how payment plans work.

When Should a Child First Be Checked?

From around age five to seven. That is earlier than many families expect, and the reason is the growth window: the seams of the upper jaw respond easily to gentle guidance in childhood and stiffen in adolescence. An early look costs nothing here, commits you to nothing, and either provides reassurance or catches something while it is simple.

Signs worth bringing forward rather than waiting on: mouth breathing, regular snoring or restless sleep, thumb or finger habits past age four, a crossbite, or front teeth that protrude noticeably (Chervin et al., 2002; Grippaudo et al., 2016; Batista et al., 2018).

What Treatment Looks Like

• 1. Consultation. A free orthodontic and airway consultation: your concerns, a visual examination, plain-English options and an approximate plan and quote. Diagnostic records and X-rays are quoted separately if you choose to proceed.
• 2. Your plan. Once records are taken, a written plan with the recommended option, the alternatives, the timeline and the confirmed cost. The figure can change from the approximate quote only if the records show something that could not be seen at the examination. Take it home, think it over, ask us anything.
• 3. Care and retention. Regular short visits through treatment, weekend slots available, and a retention plan at the end, because teeth drift lifelong and keeping the result matters as much as achieving it.

What Does Orthodontic Treatment Cost?

Most orthodontic and airway treatments at Inline Smiles Dental & Orthodontics cost between $4,000 and $9,750, depending on the treatment and how complex the case is. Straightforward cases start from a quoted figure for each option. You get an approximate quote at the free consultation, and your exact cost is confirmed in writing once records are taken. Interest-free payment plans spread payments across treatment, health fund claims happen on the spot, and the written quote is the price unless the records show something that could not be seen at the examination.

The research behind this page

• Harari D, et al. The effect of mouth breathing versus nasal breathing on dentofacial and craniofacial development. The Laryngoscope, 2010.
• Huang YS, Guilleminault C. Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea and the critical role of oral-facial growth. Frontiers in Neurology, 2013.
• Chervin RD, et al. Inattention, hyperactivity, and symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing. Pediatrics, 2002.
• Grippaudo C, et al. Association between oral habits, mouth breathing and malocclusion. Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica, 2016.
• Batista KBSL, Thiruvenkatachari B, Harrison JE, O'Brien KD. Orthodontic treatment for prominent upper front teeth (Class II malocclusion) in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018.

Inline Smiles Dental & Orthodontics: orthodontic treatment provided by our experienced general dentists. This page is general information only, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment recommendation.