Standard Rx & Airway-friendly Protocols

Contents

Standard Rx Protocol

Airway-friendly Protocol

Clinical Options

Two protocols are utilized when designing treatment plans: Standard Rx and Airway-friendly. 

Our traditional Standard Rx Protocol designs treatment plans for general dental/orthodontic patients. Airway-friendly is a specialized protocol designed for treatment plans for patients who have been or will be treated for airway health, including respiratory conditions such as sleep apnea. 

Standard Rx Protocol

Goals:

• To achieve both an optimal aesthetic and functional occlusion
• To promote proper arch width and tongue function

Considerations:

• Upper / lower expansion
• Limited upper / lower retraction, if necessary
• Limited distalization or mesialization added if functionally required
• Spaces will be closed if functionally possible
  • In cases with tooth size discrepancy (TSD), spaces will be distributed according to the patient’s needs, mesial or distal to laterals and/or distal to canines

Airway-friendly Protocol

Goals:

• To increase arch width and space for the tongue
• To promote mandibular advancement

Considerations:

• No anterior, upper/lower retraction
• Upper / lower expansion (Buccal Coronal Tipping until upright primarily)
• No generalized distalization or mesialization
• Minimal intrusion
• Spaces will be redistributed as needed/requested
  • In case of tooth size discrepancy (TSD), spaces could be distributed according to the patient’s needs, around laterals and/or distal to canines

Clinical Options

IPR (interproximal reduction), attachments, and bite ramps have been added as optional clinical capabilities for treatment plans. We also offer the option to treat patients with mixed dentition.

When submitting a case, you may now indicate if you would prefer us to include any or all of these features when treatment planning, if necessary.

Under the Treatment Goals during case submission, you’ll notice three questions where you can select any or all of your treatment preferences:

1. Do you prefer to use IPR?
2. Do you prefer to use attachments?
3. Do you prefer to use bite ramps?

You can let us know if you would prefer our treatment planning team to leverage any of these when necessary. 

Please note that if you still prefer our treatment plan without any of these, you can select “No,” we will not use any of these in our treatment planning.

If your patient has mixed dentition, be sure to indicate during this section and include eruption compensation, if applicable. Please note that patients with mixed dentition must have at least their upper and lower incisors as well as first molars fully erupted. At this time we can only treat cases with fully erupted lateral incisors. These cases will require a Panoramic X-ray taken within 6 months.