Episode 65 of the Airway First podcast is now out! You can catch this and all other episodes on Apple, SoundCloud, Podbean, RSS, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. And don't forget to check us out on YouTube!
My guest today is Dr. Tracy Tran. Dr. Tran is a Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist who specializes in infant & pediatric oral ties, as well as pediatric sleep issues. She is a Michigan native who first landed in Southern California to attend dental school at USC's Ostrow School of Dentistry.
After graduation, Dr. Tran went on to complete a 1-year general practice residency where she received additional training in all aspects of dentistry, with an emphasis in oral surgery. She performed surgical procedures in maxillofacial trauma under the attending of Oromaxillofacial, ENT and plastic surgeons. During the following two years, Dr. Tran continued her specialty training in pediatric dentistry, while completing her Master’s in Biomedical Science.
Since being in private practice, Dr. Tran has focused her continuing education on pediatric tethered oral tissue (TOTs) and its relationship with oral dysfunction in order to diagnose orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs). This includes difficulties with infant nursing, toddler feeding & swallowing, speech articulation, and pediatric sleep disordered breathing. She has successfully treated these patients through a collaborative team approach, and continues to expand her knowledge and experience in this niche specialty.
She is also proud to contribute to the advancement of academics by volunteering her time teaching at USC as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Dental Public Health & Pediatric Dentistry.
You can find out more about Dr. Tran at drtracytran.com.
Everything in your mouth is a fine motor skill, not a gross motor skill, and you can't immediately see when something is wrong. ~ Dr. Tracy Tran
Show Notes:
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORTHODONTIC AND DENTOFACIAL ORTHOPEDICS
Orthodontics focuses creating a better bite and smile through tooth alignment. It moves the teeth only and often requires support of devices such as retainers indefinitely to prevent teeth from migrating back. The focus here is more aesthetic in nature.
Dentofacial orthopedics; however, focused on issues that have developed with the bone structure of the jaw and face. This makes use of appliances, such as palatal expanders, that can redirect growth fixing issues such as narrowing of the jaw and underbites/overbites. This can be done at any time; however, it is most effective and works the quickest when used as treatment on younger children. The focus here is on growing a healthy face to support breathing and sleeping.
