The airway begins at the tip of your nose and ends at the base of your lungs. The mouth is not a natural airway but becomes the default when the nasal airway is blocked. This is not a normal state. Mouth breathing has been associated with multiple dental, orthodontic and dentofacial issues.
The Airway Architecture is extremely dynamic and variable. There are 7.6 billion people on this planet and therefore 7.6 billion anatomical variations of the face, head & neck, and the airway. Any obstruction in the upper airway tract interferes with airflow into the lungs. This could be due to medical conditions such as hay fever, allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitis or anatomical variations such as collapsed nasal valves, enlarged turbinates, deviated septum, sinus polyp disease, large adenoids and tonsils, redundant soft palate, high arched narrow palate, small jaw and big tongue. There are multiple surgical interventions that can be carried out to address those obstructions.
In addition, Dr Levi has also undergone specialist training in managing complex paediatric airway reconstructive surgery in the larynx (voicebox) and trachea (windpipe). Some kids are born with laryngomalacia (floppy larynx), bilateral vocal cord paralysis, subglottic stenosis (narrowed portion below the cords) or tracheal stenosis. Dr Levi may perform airway surgery as needed to open the airway or reconstructive surgery using a rib cartilage graft to augment the airway in some of these babies. In the adult, airway and voice surgery using laser and microscope is a common procedure performed to treat laryngeal or tracheal pathology including cancer. Airway surgery is one of Dr Levi’s subspecialty areas and he is a member of the Complex Airway Group at The Royal Children’s Hospital and the Head & Neck Cancer Team at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Getting an expert assessment and opinion is always a good first step. Please contact us for an appointment. Dr Levi is also available to provide educational talks on this topic.
