Airway Dentistry in Newport Beach, CA
Understanding how oral development, breathing patterns and sleep symptoms may be connected.
Thoughtful Answers About Breathing & Sleep
Airway dentistry focuses on how a child's mouth, jaws, tongue posture and oral habits may affect breathing, sleep and development. For families who want thoughtful answers about mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep or growth-related dental concerns, Rita Daghlian, DDS provides airway dentistry in Newport Beach, California.
Concerned about your child's breathing or oral development? Call 949-706-7006 today to schedule an airway dentistry evaluation with Dr. Daghlian.
How Oral Development Can Affect Breathing
The structure of a child's mouth can influence how comfortably air moves through the nose and throat. A narrow palate, crowded teeth, restricted tongue space or certain oral habits may contribute to mouth breathing or poor sleep quality in some children.
Airway dentistry helps parents understand these connections early. By identifying concerns while a child is still growing, our pediatric dentist can help families consider preventive strategies, related dental services or referrals before problems become more complex.
What to Expect at Your Child's Airway Dentistry Visit
An airway dentistry appointment is designed to be calm, educational and child-friendly. During the visit, our pediatric dentist may review:
Airway Dentistry With a Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist
Rita Daghlian, DDS, is a board-certified pediatric dentist focused on prevention-first care. She trained at USC, completed a pediatric residency at Children's Hospital San Diego and completed a general practice residency at Naval Medical Center San Diego. She is also active in the AAPD and CSPD.
Dr. Daghlian uses kid-friendly communication to help children feel safe and understood. Her approach to airway dentistry is careful, collaborative and focused on supporting healthy growth rather than rushing families into treatment.
Why Families Choose Daghlian Pediatric Dentistry & Sokolowski Orthodontics for Airway Dentistry
Pediatric expertise
Dr. Daghlian brings advanced pediatric training to every airway evaluation.
Prevention-first care
The focus is on early recognition, education and appropriate next steps.
Child-centered visits
Children are treated with patience, warmth and age-appropriate communication.
Whole-child perspective
Our team considers sleep, breathing, oral development and daily symptoms together.
Collaborative recommendations
When needed, our pediatric dentist may recommend additional evaluation with a pediatrician, ENT, sleep physician or other provider.
Airway Dentistry FAQs
An airway dentist evaluates how a child’s mouth, jaws, palate, tongue and oral habits may relate to breathing and sleep concerns. Our pediatric dentist uses this information to help parents understand whether dental development may be contributing to symptoms.
No. Snoring is one reason to schedule an airway evaluation, but airway dentistry may also be helpful for children with mouth breathing, teeth grinding, narrow arches, crowded teeth, restless sleep or daytime fatigue.
No. Sleep apnea must be diagnosed by a qualified medical provider, usually after a sleep study. Dr. Daghlian can identify oral and developmental signs that may warrant further evaluation and can recommend a referral when appropriate.
Children can be evaluated when parents notice concerns such as mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep or oral development issues. Early evaluation can be helpful because the jaws and oral structures are still growing.
No. Some children may only need monitoring, habit guidance or a referral for further evaluation. Our pediatric dentist will review your child's symptoms and development before making any recommendations.