Patients with various types of dentofacial deformities may present with problems of airway, occlusion, and aesthetics. They come to the craniofacial center for treatment purposes of malocclusion and facial aesthetics. Recently, more and more attention has been drawn to the health of the upper airway, especially in sleep and breathing function.
Each type of dentofacial deformity may cause different clinical presentations of airway narrowing. Through comprehensive craniofacial evaluation, including nasal, nasopharyngeal, velopharyngeal, and oropharyngeal passages, a feasible treatment plan can be built up to balance the occlusion, airway, and aesthetics within a single surgery.
Various examples will be presented to illustrate the sophisticated balance between the dentoskeletal and soft tissues intimately connected.