At Alpine Airway Wellness, we believe a beautiful smile is just one part of the story. Early interceptive orthodontic treatment is about guiding your child’s growth and development in a way that supports healthy breathing, proper jaw alignment, and long-term wellness.
Why Start Early?
Traditional orthodontics often begins in the early teenage years, but many of the issues that lead to crowded teeth, crossbites, or poor jaw alignment start much earlier—and we offer treatments for children as young as age 4. By addressing these concerns during the growth phase, we can help the jaws, face, and airway develop to their full potential. Craniofacial development is 50% complete by the age of 2, 70% by the age of 5, and 90% by the age of 12, so early intervention is key.
Our Holistic and Collaborative Approach
At Alpine Airway Wellness, our focus is on the structures we can directly influence as dentists—the teeth, jaws, and airway. Early interceptive care goes beyond straightening teeth. By improving the way these structures grow and function, we often see positive, cascading effects on overall health, including sleep, focus, and energy levels.
While we are not directly treating sleep disorders, the work we do frequently supports better breathing and rest. That’s one of the reasons we’re so passionate about what we do. However, airway dentistry is just one piece of a larger health puzzle. When the jaws and airway are properly developed, children often experience:
Improved sleep quality
Better airway support can reduce mouth breathing, snoring, and restless sleep.
Healthier facial growth
Guided jaw development helps create balanced facial structure and supports natural nasal breathing.
Enhanced focus and behavior
Quality sleep and oxygen intake are essential for attention, mood, and learning.
Long-term wellness
Early correction reduces strain on the TMJ (jaw joint), improves posture, and supports overall growth and vitality.
The Dental Benefits
From a dental perspective, early intervention allows us to:
- Create space for permanent teeth to erupt naturally, reducing the need for extractions later.
- Guide jaw growth to prevent or treat crossbites, open bites, and deep bites.
- Encourage healthy oral habits such as proper tongue posture and nasal breathing.
- Protect developing teeth from uneven wear and trauma caused by poor bite alignment.
Whole-Body Wellness is Multifactorial
Sleep and wellness are influenced by many interconnected systems in the body. In addition to airway and dental structures, other factors—such as nutrition, tonsil and adenoid health, spinal alignment, and nervous system regulation—can also play an important role.
Because every child’s health story is unique, improvement may require a combination of treatments working together.
Collaborative Care for the Best Outcomes
We believe the best outcomes come from a team-based approach. That’s why we collaborate with a network of exceptional health professionals—including ENT’s, myofunctional therapists, chiropractors, speech therapists, body workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dentists, and pediatricians—who share our vision for whole-body wellness.
Together, we help guide families toward treatments that work in synergy with our airway and growth-focused approach, creating a comprehensive path toward optimal function, growth, and health.
Early Treatment Can Make a Lifelong Difference
The best time to evaluate a child’s growth is between ages 4 and 10, when we can still influence jaw and airway development, however we can still treat any age. Early interceptive orthodontics can often prevent the need for more invasive treatments later in life—and give your child the best possible start for healthy growth.