Orthodontics can cause sleep apnea - Class Action Lawsuit
Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2014 9:21 pm
Hi All,
If you had orthodontics when you were in your growing years and wore appliances that were designed to restrict the growth of your maxilla, and today you have obstructive sleep apnea, there is a strong chance that your sleep apnea was directly caused by the orthodontic work done to you.
I am launching a class action against orthodontic colleges and/or manufacturers of retractive orthodontic appliances, namely headgear and fixed retainers. This is my story in short, and many of you may have the same story: From the time I was 11 to 13 years old, I wore headgear. I was told that to correct my overbite, the growth of my maxilla needed to be restricted with headgear to allow my lower jaw to catch up. The problem with is is that the position of the maxilla plays a large part in determining the size of one's airway. The orthodontist did not inform me or my parents that a) my maxilla forms my upper airway, and b) that at my age then, my upper airway was still growing and c) restriction of the maxillary growth could also restrict the growth of my airway. Two years after I wore headgear, I was given a fixed retainer that I wore from the time I was 16 to 17 years old. While the bones in my upper and lower jaw were trying to widen, they could not because of the fixed retainers I was wearing. This prevented my airway from widening. My upper airway today is about 1/4 the size it should be and I sleep with a CPAP machine so that I can breath at night. Orthodontists are not taught to avoid damage to the upper airway when restricting growth of the maxilla. In practice, they assume the airway will be okay, however, they don't have any qualifications to make this assumption. In legal terms, this is called willful negligence and a class action lawsuit could prevent many children from having their airways (and other physical characteristics) compromised through negligent orthodontic work. The fact that orthodontic colleges miss this point all together in their curriculae and that manufacturers don't have warning labels on their products are both also negligent.
Join me in this mission to change orthodontic practice for the better.
Thanks,
Omar
Class Action Against Orthodontic Colleges & Associations
- Organizing out of Vancouver, BC
Contact:
Omar Lalani
olalani@gmail.com
Were you ever given headgear or fixed braces/retainers and told they were designed to restrict to the growth of your upper jaw, so that your lower jaw could catch up to correct an overbite? Do you now have sleep apnea, a compromised airway, a narrow face and/or a flattened facial profile from the side, or constant fatigue and/or chronic neck and back pain? If so, you may want to consider taking part in a class action lawsuit against orthodontic manufacturers, associations and colleges for knowingly teaching and spreading practices that are harmful to the public without appropriate patient disclosure, when non-harmful alternatives to such practices have been available for decades. Orthodontic colleges teach that restricting the growth of the maxilla (upper jaw) through headgear will allow a child's mandible (lower jaw) to catch up in order to correct an overbite. Those colleges also teach that fixing the growing jaws of an adolescent with retainers to keep teeth straight, long before growth is complete, will not adversely impact a patient's health. The problem with this is that the position and width of the maxilla and mandible directly impacts the dimensions and shape of the airway; this is a known fact of anatomy. Restricting the growth of part of the upper airway this way can have disastrous lifelong health consequences, including but not limited to sleep apnea. Orthodontic colleges do not teach future practitioners of this danger, nor of the need to inform potential patients of this, yet professionals who govern the colleges are fully aware of the anatomical relationship between the maxilla and the airway. Since the 1920's, alternatives to restrictive - also referred to as retractive orthodontics - have been in practice in many parts of the world and have been well documented in orthodontic circles. These practices include the use of functional orthopedic appliances that encourage forward and lateral growth of the upper and lower jaws, and hence do not put restrictive forces on the growth of the upper airway. Despite these technologies being available, many orthodontic colleges continue to teach retractive methods, and many orthodontists today continue to adversely impact the airways of the children they treat, without informing parents and patients of this risk and the alternatives.
For this class action to be successful, enough people need to come forward in an organized way.
The class action lawsuit will contend that orthodontic colleges and associations have been engaged in willful negligence towards patients and society in general. No orthodontist can deny their knowledge of the anatomical relationship between the maxilla and the airway, nor can they deny that there are consequences to restricting the growth of the airway. No orthodontist can claim that they have the knowledge and qualifications to evaluate impacts to the structure and function of the airway, yet they continue to use techniques that adversely impact the airway. Worse yet, they are not taught to consult respirologists or ear, nose and throat doctors during the course of orthodontic treatment to fully understand the impact of the restrictive forces they are putting on the airway, nor are they taught to disclose all of this to parents and patients. This willful disregard of anatomical facts, treatment alternatives, expert opinions and patient disclosure is a classic case of willful negligence that is institutionalized.
If you were given headgear and/or fixed retainers, were not informed of potential adverse consequences to your airway and were not informed of non-retractive and non-fixed alternatives, please list your name, your contact information and send your story to be a potential claimant in this class action that is currently in the works.
Once again, my name is Omar Lalani and I can be reached at olalani@gmail.com. I will respect your privacy and your information will only be used for submission in the class action registration and proceedings. Alternatively, simply post your story here as a reply.
If you had orthodontics when you were in your growing years and wore appliances that were designed to restrict the growth of your maxilla, and today you have obstructive sleep apnea, there is a strong chance that your sleep apnea was directly caused by the orthodontic work done to you.
I am launching a class action against orthodontic colleges and/or manufacturers of retractive orthodontic appliances, namely headgear and fixed retainers. This is my story in short, and many of you may have the same story: From the time I was 11 to 13 years old, I wore headgear. I was told that to correct my overbite, the growth of my maxilla needed to be restricted with headgear to allow my lower jaw to catch up. The problem with is is that the position of the maxilla plays a large part in determining the size of one's airway. The orthodontist did not inform me or my parents that a) my maxilla forms my upper airway, and b) that at my age then, my upper airway was still growing and c) restriction of the maxillary growth could also restrict the growth of my airway. Two years after I wore headgear, I was given a fixed retainer that I wore from the time I was 16 to 17 years old. While the bones in my upper and lower jaw were trying to widen, they could not because of the fixed retainers I was wearing. This prevented my airway from widening. My upper airway today is about 1/4 the size it should be and I sleep with a CPAP machine so that I can breath at night. Orthodontists are not taught to avoid damage to the upper airway when restricting growth of the maxilla. In practice, they assume the airway will be okay, however, they don't have any qualifications to make this assumption. In legal terms, this is called willful negligence and a class action lawsuit could prevent many children from having their airways (and other physical characteristics) compromised through negligent orthodontic work. The fact that orthodontic colleges miss this point all together in their curriculae and that manufacturers don't have warning labels on their products are both also negligent.
Join me in this mission to change orthodontic practice for the better.
Thanks,
Omar
Class Action Against Orthodontic Colleges & Associations
- Organizing out of Vancouver, BC
Contact:
Omar Lalani
olalani@gmail.com
Were you ever given headgear or fixed braces/retainers and told they were designed to restrict to the growth of your upper jaw, so that your lower jaw could catch up to correct an overbite? Do you now have sleep apnea, a compromised airway, a narrow face and/or a flattened facial profile from the side, or constant fatigue and/or chronic neck and back pain? If so, you may want to consider taking part in a class action lawsuit against orthodontic manufacturers, associations and colleges for knowingly teaching and spreading practices that are harmful to the public without appropriate patient disclosure, when non-harmful alternatives to such practices have been available for decades. Orthodontic colleges teach that restricting the growth of the maxilla (upper jaw) through headgear will allow a child's mandible (lower jaw) to catch up in order to correct an overbite. Those colleges also teach that fixing the growing jaws of an adolescent with retainers to keep teeth straight, long before growth is complete, will not adversely impact a patient's health. The problem with this is that the position and width of the maxilla and mandible directly impacts the dimensions and shape of the airway; this is a known fact of anatomy. Restricting the growth of part of the upper airway this way can have disastrous lifelong health consequences, including but not limited to sleep apnea. Orthodontic colleges do not teach future practitioners of this danger, nor of the need to inform potential patients of this, yet professionals who govern the colleges are fully aware of the anatomical relationship between the maxilla and the airway. Since the 1920's, alternatives to restrictive - also referred to as retractive orthodontics - have been in practice in many parts of the world and have been well documented in orthodontic circles. These practices include the use of functional orthopedic appliances that encourage forward and lateral growth of the upper and lower jaws, and hence do not put restrictive forces on the growth of the upper airway. Despite these technologies being available, many orthodontic colleges continue to teach retractive methods, and many orthodontists today continue to adversely impact the airways of the children they treat, without informing parents and patients of this risk and the alternatives.
For this class action to be successful, enough people need to come forward in an organized way.
The class action lawsuit will contend that orthodontic colleges and associations have been engaged in willful negligence towards patients and society in general. No orthodontist can deny their knowledge of the anatomical relationship between the maxilla and the airway, nor can they deny that there are consequences to restricting the growth of the airway. No orthodontist can claim that they have the knowledge and qualifications to evaluate impacts to the structure and function of the airway, yet they continue to use techniques that adversely impact the airway. Worse yet, they are not taught to consult respirologists or ear, nose and throat doctors during the course of orthodontic treatment to fully understand the impact of the restrictive forces they are putting on the airway, nor are they taught to disclose all of this to parents and patients. This willful disregard of anatomical facts, treatment alternatives, expert opinions and patient disclosure is a classic case of willful negligence that is institutionalized.
If you were given headgear and/or fixed retainers, were not informed of potential adverse consequences to your airway and were not informed of non-retractive and non-fixed alternatives, please list your name, your contact information and send your story to be a potential claimant in this class action that is currently in the works.
Once again, my name is Omar Lalani and I can be reached at olalani@gmail.com. I will respect your privacy and your information will only be used for submission in the class action registration and proceedings. Alternatively, simply post your story here as a reply.