Functional Approach to Sleep, Breathing, Tongue-Tie and Maxillofacial Development

Soroush Zaghi, MD
Nora Ghodousi-Zaghi, DDS

Sleep, breathing, tongue-tie and myofunctional disorders have a direct effect on a multitude of dental health outcomes including caries, periodontal disease, dental wear, malocclusion, pain and oral dysfunction, as well as overall health, longevity and psychosocial well-being. Dental healthcare providers are in a unique position to not only screen and monitor patients with such disorders, but to actively participate in treatment through a multidisciplinary approach that recognizes the role of dental providers to optimize health and wellness through prevention, early identification, management and resolution.

In this lecture course, you will learn an evidenced-based approach to identifying and unraveling the root causes of sleep-related breathing disorders and myofunctional issues in children and adults based on the latest research and clinical protocols developed by Drs. Soroush Zaghi, Nora Ghodousi-Zaghi and their team at The Breathe Institute. Their presentation will emphasize how addressing issues with sleep, breathing, tongue-tie, oral posture, diet and nutrition early on can make a significant impact on the overall health and quality of life of your patients. Eating, breathing and sleeping are a few daily functions that are incredibly simple when things are going well, yet often become tangled in complexity when healthy function becomes compensated.

You will learn to not only screen and refer patients with symptoms of mouth breathing, sleep and myofunctional disorders but, more importantly, to actively participate in the management and prevention through encouragement and support of nasal breathing and tongue posture with myofunctional therapy, lingual frenuloplasty and dental orthodontic treatments.

You Will Learn

• To assess and help treat mouth breathing, sleep-disordered breathing, tongue-tie, narrow palate and oral dysfunction among patients in your practice
• To recognize the differential diagnosis of bruxism and dental wear and how to best counsel and manage your patients with these issues
• To provide preventive care through early identification of risk factors of oral dysfunction in your patients, thus providing accessibility to care and growing your practice
• How to contribute to the care of your patients you refer out for sleep, orthodontics and ENT evaluation and treatment

Who Should Attend
This course is designed for pediatric dentists, general practitioners, specialists and the entire dental team.

Program: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Check-in: 8:30 am
Location: Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, 155 Fifth Street, SF
Credits: This activity is designated for 6 units of continuing education credit

Program includes continental breakfast and lunch

Faculty

Soroush Zaghi, MD, graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed a residency in ENT (otolaryngology - head and neck surgery) at University of California, Los Angeles and sleep surgery fellowship at Stanford University. He now serves as medical director of The Breathe Institute where the focus of his sub-specialty training is on the comprehensive treatment of nasal obstruction, mouth breathing, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea in children and adults. He is active in clinical research with more than 80 peer-reviewed research publications in the fields of neuroscience, head and neck surgery, myofunctional therapy and sleep-disordered breathing.

Nora Ghodousi-Zaghi, DDS, received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles and DDS degree from University of Southern California. She specialized in pediatric dentistry at University of Nevada and is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Nora offers functional and integrative oral health care and interceptive orthodontics with a focus on whole-body health at The Breathe Institute, in collaboration with her husband, Dr. Soroush Zaghi, and team of interdisciplinary providers.