At Stellar Orthodontics, we believe orthodontic care is about more than creating straight teeth and beautiful smiles. A healthy smile is important, but the way the jaws, teeth, and facial structures develop can also play an important role in breathing, sleep, function, and overall quality of life.
This past weekend, Dr. Stella had the privilege of attending the 2nd Global MARPE Symposium, an inspiring educational event focused on MARPE, airway orthodontics, sleep-disordered breathing, adult sleep apnea, facial development, corticotomy, and interdisciplinary care.
She returned even more excited about where the orthodontic specialty is headed: toward a more comprehensive approach that looks at the whole patient, not just the teeth.
What Is MARPE?
MARPE stands for Miniscrew-Assisted “Rapid” Palatal Expansion. It is an advanced orthodontic technique designed to help expand the upper jaw using small temporary anchorage devices, also called miniscrews.
While traditional expanders are often used in growing children, MARPE can sometimes be considered for teens and adults whose upper jaw is narrow and whose growth is more advanced. For certain patients, this approach may help address skeletal constriction and create more space in the upper jaw.
But MARPE is more than just “expansion.”
It represents a broader philosophy of care: one that considers how jaw structure, airway, breathing, sleep, and facial development may be connected.
Why Airway-Focused Orthodontics Matters
Airway-focused orthodontics looks beyond tooth alignment alone. It asks bigger questions, such as:
How is the patient breathing?
How are they sleeping?
Is the upper jaw narrow?
Is there mouth breathing, snoring, or restless sleep?
Could jaw structure be contributing to airway limitations?
How can orthodontics fit into a larger care team?
For children, airway concerns may show up as mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep, crowded teeth, narrow arches, difficulty waking up, or concerns with facial growth and development.
For adults, airway-focused orthodontic evaluation may be especially relevant for those who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea or who are working with a physician, sleep specialist, ENT, myofunctional therapist, or other healthcare provider to better understand their airway and sleep health.
Orthodontics does not replace medical diagnosis or sleep medicine care, but it can be an important part of an interdisciplinary conversation.
Learning From Leaders in the Field
At the symposium, Dr. Stella had the opportunity to learn from clinicians who are advancing the field of MARPE and airway-focused orthodontics through research, education, and clinical experience.
The courses and lectures covered topics such as pediatric sleep-disordered breathing, adult sleep apnea, MARPE treatment planning, corticotomy-assisted expansion, facial development, interdisciplinary care, and the evolving role of orthodontics in airway health.
These experiences help our team continue to grow, refine our approach, and bring current knowledge back to the patients, families, and referring providers we serve.
Our Philosophy at Stellar Orthodontics
At Stellar Orthodontics, continuing education is a core part of how we care for our patients. We believe families deserve thoughtful, comprehensive evaluations that look at the bigger picture.
That means we care about beautiful smiles, but we also care about breathing, sleep, jaw development, function, and long-term health.
For some patients, orthodontic treatment may be mainly about alignment and bite correction. For others, it may be part of a larger journey involving airway evaluation, collaboration with other providers, and a deeper look at how the mouth, jaws, and airway work together.
Every patient is unique, and every treatment plan should be individualized.
A Bigger Conversation About Health
One of Dr. Stella’s biggest takeaways from the symposium was this:
MARPE is more than expansion. It is part of a bigger way of caring for the whole patient.
Behind every smile is a person: a child who may be struggling to sleep peacefully, a parent searching for answers, or an adult hoping to breathe and sleep better.
We are honored to be part of our patients’ journey toward healthier breathing, better sleep, improved function, and a better quality of life.
Interested in an Airway-Focused Orthodontic Evaluation?
If your child has signs such as mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep, crowded teeth, or a narrow palate, or if you are an adult diagnosed with sleep apnea and would like to explore whether orthodontic airway evaluation may be part of your care, our team would be happy to help.
At Stellar Orthodontics, we are committed to looking beyond the teeth and caring for the whole patient.
Schedule a consultation with Stellar Orthodontics to learn more about MARPE, airway-focused orthodontics, and whether this approach may be appropriate for you or your child.
