Guide natural jaw growth for healthy breathing and facial harmony.
A beautiful smile reflects healthy breathing, facial development, and structural balance. Aviara Ortho™ uses airway-focused orthopedics and orthodontics to guide jaw growth and create space for the tongue and airway.
Assessment of facial growth, jaw development, airway space, and bite function.
Guided by the Aviara Method™, care in every division begins with a structured evaluation designed to identify the root causes of dysfunction rather than simply treating symptoms.
Before their visit, patients complete a comprehensive Aviara Health Questionnaire, which explores breathing patterns, sleep quality, jaw symptoms, lifestyle habits, emotional wellbeing, and other health indicators that influence airway function and overall wellness.
This questionnaire is carefully reviewed with the patient and used to guide the Aviara Health Assessment. The assessment follows the same framework as the questionnaire, allowing us to align the symptoms patients report with the structural and functional findings we observe clinically.
This systematic process is a key part of what makes the Aviara Method™ unique. By connecting patient-reported experiences with objective clinical findings, we are able to uncover patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed and develop a more precise and personalized treatment strategy.
The insights gathered through this process guide the creation of your individualized BioArchitectural Blueprint™, which integrates airway health, structural balance, lifestyle optimization, and emotional wellbeing to restore long-term health and stability.
1- Aviara Health Assessment
2- Division-Specific Evaluation
3- Advanced Diagnostics
4- BioArchitectural Blueprint™ Creation
5- Integrated Treatment Plan Phase
6- Long-Term Stabilization & Maintenance
Every patient begins with a comprehensive Aviara Health Assessment, guided by the information gathered from the Aviara Health Questionnaire.
During this evaluation we assess:
• airway health and breathing patterns
• tongue posture and oral function
• jaw development, alignment, and range of motion
• craniofacial structure and bite stability
• cranio-cervical posture and musculoskeletal balance
• sleep quality and breathing habits
• lifestyle factors affecting inflammation and healing
• emotional and nervous system regulation
Because airway function influences jaw development, posture, sleep quality, and nervous system balance, identifying these relationships allows us to address the underlying causes of many chronic health concerns.
Once the comprehensive insights are gathered from the Aviara Health Questionnaire and Aviara Health Assessment by the patient navigator, the patient will be evaluated by a division specific provider based on the patient’s primary concern.
When needed, advanced diagnostics may include:
• 3D CBCT imaging
• digital scans & images
• posture and breathing analysis
• sleep screening or testing
• functional laboratory testing
Based on the patient’s questionnaire, assessment and evaluation(s), we develop a personalized BioArchitectural Blueprint™ integrating airway health, structural alignment, lifestyle optimization, and emotional wellbeing.
Treatment is delivered through an interdisciplinary approach that may integrate therapies from multiple Aviara divisions.
Once foundational health and function have been restored, our focus shifts to long-term stability and continued optimization. This phase is designed to maintain results, support ongoing adaptation, and prevent regression as the body continues to evolve. Because true health is dynamic, this phase ensures that improvements are not only achieved, but sustained for the long term.
Related Services Los Alamitos, California
At Aviara Centers, our integrative team of professionals work together to find the root causes of your concerns and create individualized solutions for optimal airway health which is essential for whole body wellness and beautiful smiles!
Breathing Technique, Los Alamitos, California
Even if you’ve aged out of your teen years, it’s not too late to correct your smile! While it’s generally better to start while the mouth and jaw are developing, there is no age limit for orthodontics. Your mouth won’t be quite as flexible and malleable, but with a little more time and pressure, our orthodontists can still help you achieve the straight smile you deserve.
Yes! Narrow palates and crossbite make it more difficult for you to breathe. As they obstruct your airways, they often cause patients to overcompensate or develop sleep-disordered breathing problems like chronic mouth breathing, snoring, and sleep apnea. By widening the upper jaw with an expander, your orthodontist also widens the nasal cavity, allowing you to breathe deeper and healthier.
Traditional dental braces’ brackets and wires place enough pressure to move the whole tooth, from root to crown. This allows your orthodontist to take on more severe orthodontics cases, including teeth that are rotated more than 20 degrees or need to be raised or lowered in the jaw. However, if you have more moderate bite problems, clear aligners can be a better choice for patients who want an unnoticeable treatment.
Other dentists and orthodontists may suggest extracting teeth if your smile doesn’t have room, but the Aviara team does our best to prevent this. We never want to remove your teeth because each one is vital to your oral health. Narrow palates also affect your ability to speak, eat, and breathe, so pulling teeth won’t treat these issues at their source. Instead, we prefer to widen the jaw, allowing your mouth to develop and create healthy space for your teeth to move. From there, we can get started with your teeth braces or aligner treatment.
Although you should wear your clear aligners for no less than 22 hours each day, it won’t be the end of your smile as you know it if you miss this requirement once or twice. As your teeth may have slightly moved out of place, you will just need to wear your trays a bit longer to make up for lost time. If you find your current aligner no longer fits, you may need to go back a tray or two and repeat the progress you’ve made before.
It’s always better to start sooner rather than later with orthodontics, with the prime time being when the mouth is still growing. Between ages 8 and 14, baby teeth fall out, adult ones replace them, and the jaw develops. With everything rapidly changing, our orthodontists can better guide younger patients’ smiles into the best alignment possible for their oral and overall health. However, some children may require even earlier intervention to prevent even bigger problems down the road.
Airway Aesthetic Dentistry, TMJ, Sleep, & Ortho
Aviara is Dr. Katherine Ahn Wallace’s vision. It has been her lifelong aspiration to create an interdisciplinary center that leads the way in comprehensive sleep, TMJ, orthodontic, and whole-body wellness. She has stayed at the forefront of dentistry by learning about the relationship these aspects play in her patients’ lives. Dr. Ahn routinely completes mini-residencies and advanced comprehensive programs annually to ensure her patients always receive the best care—and smiles—possible. Her particular focus is on jaw development and healthy airway support starting proper development as early as possible, because she believes that guiding young smiles helps achieve the happiest and brightest outcomes.
Airway Orthodontics
Dr. Rita Chuang is a Board-Certified Orthodontist and airway-focused specialist dedicated to improving smiles and overall health. She earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, her dental degree from the University of Southern California, and completed her orthodontic residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, where she also served as Clinical Director. Dr. Chuang currently serves on the board of the California Association of Orthodontists and is highly trained in advanced orthodontic technologies with a focus on craniofacial development and airway-centered care. Her expertise allows her to treat conditions such as sleep apnea, TMJ disorders, malocclusion, and craniofacial pain, with a philosophy centered on enhancing both function and aesthetics to help patients achieve confident, healthy smiles.
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