In this video Dr. Bill Hang, an orthodontist, explains his holistic treatment philosophy that goes beyond straightening teeth to improving overall health. He emphasizes three core goals—helping patients look better, breathe better, and feel better—by focusing on facial balance, jaw pain prevention, and maximizing airway width. Central to his approach is the belief that proper tongue posture (upward and forward) is critical for airway health; pulling teeth back can force the tongue into the throat, leading to mouth‑breathing, TMJ pain, and facial development issues. He advocates early intervention (before age 10) using BioBlock Orthotropics to guide jaw growth, avoid extractions, and prevent long‑face, narrow‑smile profiles. The video presents multiple case studies: a young actress treated without extractions, a 5‑year‑old with failure‑to‑thrive and pediatric sleep apnea whose airway widened after treatment, a teen with severe sleep apnea whose snoring stopped, adults who had prior retractive orthodontics or extractions and experienced relief from headaches, snoring, sinus infections, and jaw pain after reopening extraction spaces or undergoing jaw‑advancement surgery. Dr. Hang stresses minimally invasive, short‑duration treatments for teens, and reserves surgery for cases where it is the only viable option. He concludes by inviting viewers to seek care that improves aesthetics, breathing, and overall well‑being.
Chapters
Hi, I'm Bill Hang. Like every orthodontist, I want to give you straight teeth, and in the process of doing that, I want to have a positive impact on your overall health. Whether you're a teenager who wants straight teeth, the parent of a small child who wants better facial development for your little one, or an adult who wants relief from pain, snoring, or sleep apnea, along with a better smile, what you're about to see may be helpful to you. Every patient I treat is unique, but the goals I have for them tend to remain the same. Obviously, I want to give you the smile you're looking for, but in the process, I'm also going to do everything I can to optimize your facial balance, prevent or reduce jaw pain, and make sure your airway is as wide as it can be. I've always loved straightening teeth for teenagers who are getting ready for graduation or the prom. Knowing that I can do that now without narrowing their smile, damaging their profile, or forcing the tongue further back in the mouth makes it a truly joyful experience. What really fuels my passion though is treating the little ones early. Parents are delighted when they find out that their kids can develop strong profiles wider airways, and potentially healthier jaw joints during treatment. All of that can be accomplished before age 10, if we start treatment early enough. Many adults went to the orthodontist back when the only treatment available was braces, which straightened the teeth and sometimes brought them further back in the mouth. Often, my adult patients want their pre-orthodontic results reversed. They're looking for a more attractive smile and relief from pain patterns and/or sleep problems that have developed over time. The orthodontic profession focuses a lot of energy on the teeth, and so do I. But, and I know this sounds strange, what I care the most about as a doctor is where the tongue is resting in the mouth. I always want the tongue resting upward and forward in the mouth, never down low or back in the throat. It makes sense if you think about it. The very first thing we do during CPR therapy to save a patient's life is to pull the lower jaw forward in an attempt to clear the patient's airway. Moving the tongue up and out of the throat is the first step in saving a patient's life. The tongue rests behind the teeth when the mouth is closed. If the teeth are pulled back during orthodontic treatment, even a millimeter, the tongue may have nowhere to go but down and back into the throat. That's not okay. I believe that if your tongue gets in the way of your ability to breathe easily, you will either force your lower jaw forward or let your mouth hang open to accommodate it. Many of my patients came to me after years of consciously or subconsciously posturing their lower jaws forward. They often have head, neck, and jaw pain as a result. Some grind their teeth at night. Others have clicking jaw joints and other TMJ problems. I'm sure you've seen plenty of young kids who hang their mouths open. I don't believe they're doing that because they want to, but because they have to in order to breathe easily. I believe that mouth breathing over time causes the face to develop in a way that it was not meant to. The face tends to be long, the profile weaker, and the smile narrower. This can also cause the nose to appear large when it is not. In my practice, we focus much of our energy on preventing these problems in very young children. Before we wrap up, I'd like to give you some specific examples of the types of people we tend to see in our practice. We treated a young lady who wanted a single tooth straightened and had been told she needed teeth taken out. She didn't want to wear braces because she was working as an actress on a television series. We were able to treat her without removing permanent teeth and used a removable appliance for much of the treatment, minimizing her time in braces. By treating this young girl starting at age 8, we were able to help her upper and lower jaws develop forward. She was delighted when after completing BioBlock orthotropic treatment, there was no need for full braces or retainers. That's exciting to me, but BioBlock Orthotropics goes way beyond improving faces and teeth. It can also address serious health issues. Let's look at a couple examples of that. This young man's father suffers from a severe case of obstructive sleep apnea and was very concerned that his son would develop the same problem. This boy did exactly what we asked him to do during BioBlock Orthotropics treatment. As you can see, his face has developed nicely forward, and he does not snore. A possible great sign of good things to come. This boy was 5 years old when he was diagnosed with failure to thrive and pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. Look at the airway. This may not seem like a big deal, but by the time his airway had reached the width in the after-treatment x-ray, His sleep physician reported that he had no remaining symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. There's nothing more gratifying that I can think of doing than helping someone like this boy have a better chance at a healthy life. Now, there are millions of people around the world who have had retractive orthotic care. Not all of them have suffered consequences, but some have. If you're one of them, there may well be a solution for you too. This patient had 10 years of retractive orthodontic treatment. She had frequent headaches, which severely impacted her life. Her husband reported that she snored loudly, and she herself told me that she had dreams about drowning or choking to death. We reopened her extraction spaces for her, and she is now symptom-free. This woman came to me in her 40s wanting a better smile. She'd had 4 permanent teeth removed as part of her adolescent orthodontic treatment. We reopened her extraction spaces and then she had her teeth restored. You can see the results. One other interesting point about this case. Although appearance was her only motivator in seeking treatment, she told me that she'd had 3 or 4 sinus infections per year prior to treatment and has not had even one since her extraction spaces were reopened. This teenage girl wanted straight teeth, and like most kids her age, she probably thought she was going to be in braces for 2 or more years. The short treatment times we often achieve for teenagers is one of the things they like most about us. We were able to complete this case in under a year. Nobody ever likes to hear the word surgery, and it's always the treatment of last resort for me. But sometimes it's the only viable option left. This patient's wife is a registered nurse and recognized his sleep apnea. He couldn't stand wearing a CPAP machine, which is not uncommon in my experience. When he came to see me, he'd been seeking a solution for his obstructive sleep apnea for more than 15 years. We recommended surgery to advance his upper and lower jaws. To his credit, and I know that having surgery isn't easy for anyone, He followed our advice. He is now free of symptoms and living a normal life, enjoying his grandchildren. A significant part of our practice is treating patients who've had extractions recommended. It was suggested to this patient by another orthodontist that 4 permanent teeth be removed and that full braces be worn. We took a different approach which saved the 4 permanent teeth, avoided the reduction in tongue space, and prevented the possible negative profile change. The pictures speak for themselves. OK, I could spend a lot more time showing you more cases, but your time is valuable, and I think this has probably given you a good idea of how we are different, so I'll wrap it up here. If you take one thought away from this program, please let it be this: my goal is to treat you in a way that will help you look better, Breathe better, and feel better. I'd love to talk with you about that in person. Look forward to seeing you soon.
