Sleep apnea affects both children and adults, disrupting sleep, breathing, and overall health. Our practice provides comprehensive evaluation and individualized treatment for patients of all ages.
Sleep Apnea Dentist in Westminster, CO
Sleep apnea affects both children and adults, disrupting sleep, breathing, and overall health. Our practice provides comprehensive evaluation and individualized treatment for patients of all ages.
For Adults
We address structural contributors, bite alignment, TMJ health, and airway obstruction with tailored treatments, including oral appliances, palatal expansion, and airway-focused orthodontics.
For Children
We focus primarily on airway development, facial growth, and gentle interventions such as palatal expanders, tongue-tie release, and myofunctional therapy to support proper breathing and restful sleep.
Our goal is simple: help every patient breathe easier, sleep better, and improve overall health and well-being.
Signs of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea often shows up long before anyone connects the symptoms to breathing. Many patients come to us after years of being told they are simply tired.
In adults, the common signs include:
- Loud or consistent snoring
- Waking up gasping or catching your breath
- Morning headaches
- Dry mouth or a sore throat on waking
- Daytime fatigue that a full night in bed does not fix
- Trouble focusing, irritability, or low mood
- Grinding or clenching, and jaw soreness in the morning
In children, the pattern looks different:
- Mouth breathing, day or night
- Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep
- Restless sleep and unusual sleeping positions
- Bedwetting past the expected age
- Difficulty focusing at school, or behavior that gets read as hyperactivity
- Crowded teeth or a narrow palate
One symptom on its own does not confirm anything. A pattern is worth an evaluation.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options in Westminster
Treatment starts with understanding why the airway is closing, not just how often. After a sleep study confirms a diagnosis, we build the plan around what we find.
Oral appliance therapy
A custom appliance holds the lower jaw in a forward position while you sleep, keeping the airway open. It is quiet, portable, and often the option patients choose when CPAP has not worked for them. Learn more about mandibular advancement sleep appliances.
Palatal expansion
When the upper jaw is narrow, there is less room for the tongue and less room for air. Expansion widens the arch and opens the airway at its source. This applies to children and to many adults.
Myofunctional therapy
The muscles of the tongue, face, and mouth hold the airway open. Retraining them supports the results of any appliance or expansion work, and sometimes reduces symptoms on its own.
Airway-focused orthodontics
Where the bite and jaw position are contributing, correcting alignment addresses the structure rather than working around it.
Combination care
Most adults do best with more than one approach. We treat the airway, the bite, and the TMJ together because they influence each other.
Experience the Difference
Our patients choose us because we treat the whole system. Schedule a consultation today and discover a practice that combines expertise, compassion, and a focus on long-term health.
Experience the Difference
Our patients choose us because we treat the whole system. Schedule a consultation today and discover a practice that combines expertise, compassion, and a focus on long-term health.
SLEEP / AIRWAY
How does Elevate Airway approach sleep apnea differently?
At Elevate Airway TMJ Sleep, we look beyond the diagnosis to understand what may be contributing to disrupted breathing and poor-quality sleep. Dr. Stamm and Dr. Chrissy evaluate the airway, jaw position, bite, tongue space, breathing patterns, and symptoms together to create an individualized approach to care.
What are my options if I have sleep apnea but can’t tolerate CPAP?
If CPAP is not working for you, a custom oral appliance may be an option. These appliances are designed to gently reposition the lower jaw to help keep the airway more open during sleep. At Elevate Airway TMJ Sleep, we evaluate your airway, jaw, bite, and overall function to determine whether oral appliance therapy is appropriate for you.
Why am I still tired even though I sleep eight hours a night?
Getting enough hours of sleep does not always mean you are getting quality, restorative sleep. Snoring, mouth breathing, airway resistance, and repeated breathing disruptions can interfere with healthy sleep cycles and leave you feeling tired during the day. An airway-focused evaluation can help uncover factors that may be affecting your sleep quality.
Can my jaw or bite contribute to sleep apnea?
Yes, the position and development of your jaws can influence the amount of space available for your tongue and airway. A narrow upper jaw, recessed lower jaw, limited tongue space, or certain bite concerns may contribute to breathing problems during sleep. This is why we evaluate the airway, jaw, bite, and function together rather than looking at sleep symptoms in isolation.
Can sleep apnea and TMJ problems be related?
Yes, sleep-disordered breathing and TMJ concerns can sometimes overlap. When breathing is compromised during sleep, some people may clench, grind, or position their jaw differently in an effort to maintain an open airway, which can contribute to jaw tension, headaches, or TMJ discomfort. At Elevate Airway TMJ Sleep, we evaluate both airway and jaw function to better understand how these concerns may be connected.
Meet Dr. Stamm
You don’t come to Dr. Stamm because you’re looking for a quick fix.
Patients often find their way here after something hasn’t quite added up, persistent jaw discomfort, breathing or sleep concerns, or a sense that symptoms are being treated without understanding the full picture.
Dr. Stamm takes a step back. She looks at how the airway, jaw, bite, and overall function work together before recommending anything. Her approach is thoughtful, thorough, and grounded in the belief that better outcomes start with better questions.
What patients appreciate most is that she takes the time to explain why something may be happening, not just what to do next.
Meet Dr. Stamm
You don’t come to Dr. Stamm because you’re looking for a quick fix.
Patients often find their way here after something hasn’t quite added up, persistent jaw discomfort, breathing or sleep concerns, or a sense that symptoms are being treated without understanding the full picture.
Dr. Stamm takes a step back. She looks at how the airway, jaw, bite, and overall function work together before recommending anything. Her approach is thoughtful, thorough, and grounded in the belief that better outcomes start with better questions.
What patients appreciate most is that she takes the time to explain why something may be happening, not just what to do next.
Meet Dr. Chrissy
Dr. Chrissy has a way of making complex concerns feel manageable.
Whether she’s working with parents navigating feeding or development questions, or adults dealing with long-standing sleep or jaw issues, her focus is always the same, helping patients feel heard, informed, and supported.
She believes care should feel collaborative, not rushed. That means listening carefully, explaining options clearly, and guiding patients through decisions with honesty and empathy.
Patients often say they leave their visit feeling relieved, not because everything is “fixed” that day, but because they finally understand what’s going on.
Meet Dr. Chrissy
Dr. Chrissy has a way of making complex concerns feel manageable.
Whether she’s working with parents navigating feeding or development questions, or adults dealing with long-standing sleep or jaw issues, her focus is always the same, helping patients feel heard, informed, and supported.
She believes care should feel collaborative, not rushed. That means listening carefully, explaining options clearly, and guiding patients through decisions with honesty and empathy.
Patients often say they leave their visit feeling relieved, not because everything is “fixed” that day, but because they finally understand what’s going on.