Airway Orthodontics in Encinitas, CA
How you breathe and how your bite develops are the same story.
Airway orthodontics evaluates the connection between jaw structure, jaw growth, and breathing — not just how your teeth line up. Dr. Liatti uses CBCT 3D imaging and comprehensive airway screening to identify breathing-related problems that a visual exam alone can’t show. We serve patients from Encinitas, Carlsbad, and throughout North County.
What Is Airway Orthodontics?
Airway orthodontics is an approach to orthodontic care that evaluates the connection between jaw structure, jaw growth, and breathing. It looks beyond teeth to the anatomy that shapes how someone breathes — the width and position of the jaws, the nasal airway, adenoids, tonsils, tongue posture, and soft-tissue restrictions like tongue ties.
For proper development, a child should breathe comfortably through the nose, with the lips closed and the tongue resting against the roof of the mouth. That resting tongue works like a mold — it shapes the upper jaw to grow wide and forward. When the nose is blocked, the child breathes through the mouth instead, the tongue drops away from the palate, and a cascade follows: crowded teeth, recessed jaws, snoring, and restless sleep.
This is why Dr. Liatti looks at the airway before moving a single tooth — including when the honest answer is that your airway looks fine and orthodontics isn't the right lever.
I couldn't breathe well through my nose as a kid, so I breathed through my mouth. When I see a crowded, mouth-breathing eight-year-old now, I see exactly where it's headed. And I know what catching it early can change.
— Dr. Liatti Learn more about Dr. Liatti's storySigns You or Your Child May Need an Airway Evaluation
Any one of these is worth a comprehensive evaluation. Several together is a strong signal that airway is part of the story.
| Symptom | Children | Adults |
|---|---|---|
| Mouth breathing (at rest or during sleep) | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Narrow palate or crowded teeth | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Snoring or audible breathing during sleep | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Restless sleep, frequent waking, night sweats | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Bedwetting or ADHD-like behaviors | ✓Yes | —No |
| Fatigue, daytime sleepiness | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Dark circles under the eyes, chronic allergies | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Sleep apnea diagnosis or CPAP use | —No | ✓Yes |
| Tooth wear, grinding, or clenching | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| TMJ pain, clicking, or jaw tension | —No | ✓Yes |
| Chronic headaches (especially morning) | —No | ✓Yes |
Resonate with any of these symptoms? Your evaluation will uncover what's going on — free.
Book Your Free ConsultationOur Airway Diagnostic Protocol
Dr. Liatti evaluates every new patient for airway compromise as part of our comprehensive evaluation. This is what makes our approach different from a standard orthodontic exam.
CBCT 3D airway imaging
When imaging is indicated, a single low-radiation scan captures your teeth, jaws, and airway in three dimensions. Dr. Liatti measures airway volume and cross-sectional area — data a 2D X-ray cannot provide. Learn about our CBCT technology →
Cephalometric and jaw analysis
Dr. Liatti studies your jaws from multiple angles — how they're positioned front to back, and their width along with the nasal cavity — to see whether a narrow, set-back structure is crowding the airway.
Sleep and breathing questionnaire
Standardized screening tools (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, STOP-BANG for adults, pediatric sleep questionnaire for children) to identify sleep-disordered breathing symptoms that may not be obvious.
Tongue and oral assessment
Tongue-tie evaluation and oral posture assessment. When the tongue can't rest against the palate, it sits lower and further back — where it can impinge on the airway.
Nasal breathing evaluation
Assessment of nasal patency, septum alignment, and breathing patterns at rest. When nasal obstruction is present, we coordinate with ENT specialists before beginning orthodontic treatment.
Collaborative care coordination
When airway findings point beyond orthodontics, Dr. Liatti coordinates with ENTs, sleep physicians, myofunctional therapists, and allergists. Orthodontic treatment supports airway improvement but does not replace medical sleep evaluation.
How We Treat Airway Problems with Orthodontics
Airway-focused treatment is powerful, but it isn't magic. Part of practicing this way honestly is being clear about where the evidence is strong, where it's partial, and where we refer you to someone else.
Palatal Expansion (Children & Adults)
In children, rapid palatal expansion (RPE) widens the upper jaw by separating the midpalatal suture — improving nasal airflow,1 helping the tongue reach the palate,2 and creating space for permanent teeth.
In adults, Dr. Liatti uses MARPE — a technique that achieves true skeletal expansion without jaw surgery.3 Learn more about palatal expansion →
Jaw Development & Growth Guidance
For children whose jaws are still developing, functional appliances and interceptive treatment can help guide jaw growth in a healthier direction — widening the palate, bringing the lower jaw forward, and improving the airway before problems become structural. Learn about early treatment →
Myofunctional & Tongue Posture Correction
Tongue-tie assessment, myofunctional therapy referral, and tongue-posture retraining are sometimes the missing piece. When the tongue can't rest against the palate, it sits lower and further back, where it can impinge on the airway — undermining both orthodontic results and breathing function.
Collaboration with Sleep Physicians & ENTs
Expansion is not a standalone treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, and we will never market it that way. When enlarged adenoids or tonsils, a deviated septum, or severe OSA are part of the picture, we coordinate with your ENT or sleep physician first.
Curious whether any of these treatments could help you or your child? Find out at your free consultation.
Book Your Free Consultation
Airway Orthodontics for Children
Children's jaws are still growing, which means early intervention can literally reshape the airway. A child who is mouth breathing, snoring, sleeping restlessly, or showing ADHD-like symptoms may have an orthodontic airway problem4 — and catching it by age 7 can change the trajectory of their facial development.
Phase 1 interceptive treatment typically involves palatal expansion to widen the upper jaw and nasal floor, and habit correction for mouth breathing and low tongue posture — creating a wider airway and room for permanent teeth to come in straight.
Every child receives a CBCT airway screening as part of their free evaluation. If the airway looks healthy, we tell you.
Airway Orthodontics for Adults
If you're an adult with a narrow palate, TMJ pain, snoring, sleep apnea, or chronic fatigue — the root cause may be a jaw that never developed to its full size. For decades, the only option for adult skeletal expansion was orthognathic (jaw) surgery. MARPE changes that.
MARPE uses temporary anchorage devices to achieve true bone-borne expansion of the upper jaw in adults. Research shows meaningful increases in nasal cavity volume and, in selected patients, measurable improvement in sleep-disordered breathing. Dr. Liatti is one of few orthodontists in North County offering it.
An adult airway case starts with CBCT-guided planning, coordination with any sleep physicians or ENTs involved, and a clear conversation about what expansion can and can't do.
What our patients say.
I recently finished my orthodontic treatment at Encinitas Orthodontics. I had an underbite but now it’s perfect. Dr. Liatti’s treatment method to move my teeth considered my overall health instead of just how the teeth looks, unlike other orthodontists who…
We love Dr. Liatti and his amazing staff! Our older son was treated for airway restriction/sleep apnea, and our younger son for a crossbite that would have permanently damaged his adult teeth.
We consulted with multiple orthodontists before and after meeting Dr. Liatti. We live quite far (1 hour drive) but it was 100% the right decision. Each of our children have received personalized care and treatment plans.
I saw Dr. Liatti at Encinitas Orthodontics for a new retainer and was extremely impressed. As a speech and language pathologist, I appreciated Dr. Liatti’s thorough examination and was impressed with his wealth of knowledge.
Super friendly staff. Our 9 year old kid is working through an initial round and is having a good experience. We liked in the initial consult that Dr Liatti spent time discussing our CBCT scan (like an xray) and pointed out unrelated ENT issues we could…
We found Dr Liatti when looking for an airway focused orthodontist! We have been beyond happy with him and the whole staff. The assistants are all so amazing… friendly and patient. We will definitely be coming back for the whole family’s orthodontics!
Airway Orthodontics in San Diego & North County
Encinitas Orthodontics is located at 317 N El Camino Real, Suite 203, in Encinitas, CA 92024 — serving families from across North County San Diego and the greater San Diego area who are looking for airway-focused orthodontic care.
Patients travel to our office from Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos, Oceanside, and San Diego proper — many because their pediatrician, ENT, or sleep physician recommended an airway-focused orthodontic evaluation.