Image: Intermittent Hypoxic Training
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Breathing treatment and therapy is used for conditions that include mouth breathing, snoring and sleep apnoea, asthma, as well as chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD and emphysema. Dentistry often has a key role to play and we work integratively with Dr Rosalba Courtney PhD who has many years of experience in this area.
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Dysfunctional breathing is caused by structural issues, blockages, allergies, nasal conditions and poor breathing habits. To get to the bottom of the underlying problem, diagnosis and treatment may include:
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Dentistry to expand the palate or move the jaw
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Dealing with obstructions
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Improving nasal health
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Treating allergies
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Breathing assessment
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and breathing retraining.
AIRWAY & BREATHING
Image: Light wire expansion appliance
How our dentistry can help improve the airway
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​Most people think of dentistry as taking care of the teeth and gums. However, at Lotus Dental we also have a major focus area in airway, breathing and sleep issues.
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Dentistry often forms a key part of treatment of restoring proper breathing and its health effect for adults and children.
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Expanding the palate
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​Expanding the palate opens the sinuses and improve tongue position for better breathing at night.
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Moving the jaw forward
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Bringing a retruded/underdeveloped lower jaw forward improves the pharyngeal airway and ease of breathing, especially at night.
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Treating infected teeth
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Treating infected teeth, especially the upper molars, can resolve chronically blocked sinuses, as these teeth can be a reservoir for pathogens which cause sinusitis.
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Tonsils assessment
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As part of our dental examination we assess the size and state of the tonsils and their likelihood of making breathing difficult, and refer as needed to other practitioners.
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Our page on snoring and sleep apnoea has information about our treatment approach and methods.
Breathing Assessment and Retraining
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​We work closely with Dr Rosalba Courtney DO PhD, who has many years of experience in this field.
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Breathing assessment
The first step is normally a breathing assessment that looks for hyperventilation issues, breathing pattern disorders, poor breathing habits and also stress-related breathing issues. The base line measures are recorded so that you can see your progress.
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Therapy / Classes
Once the causes of the problem are established there is a range of breathing exercises, movement and mind-body techniques designed to teach you how to breathe in an efficient, relaxed and balanced way. The exercises retrain the neuroplasticity of breathing so that it can respond better to life and health challenges. Because each of us different an individualised program produces optimal results.
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Techniques used in the sessions include:
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Functional Breathing Basics
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Buteyko Method
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Resonance Frequency Breathing
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Mindful Breath & Movement.
Private sessions and small group therapy classes are both available.
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Intermittent Hypoxic Training
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People with a range of conditions from asthma to fatigue use Intermittent Hypoxic Training. Similar to altitude training, Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT) trains the body’s adaptive response and tolerance to low oxygen environments.