Dr. Svitlana Koval
Airway-Focused Orthodontics
Right here in Boca Raton, Dr. Svitlana Koval runs a modern and revolutionary dental practice focused on healthy breathing, facial development and sleep.
“This is not just a regular orthodontic practice the way we kind of are accustomed to see it,” she explains. “We call it an airway-focused practice.”
In practice for 16 years, Dr. Koval’s work centers on obstructive sleep apnea in adults and sleep-disordered breathing in children. The focus is on each patient’s overall health, quality of life, breathing patterns and facial development. “The smile improvement is, of course, a part of the procedure,” she explains, “but it’s not the main focus. It extends well, well beyond.”
Children, for example, may show signs parents do not immediately connect to airway problems, such as snoring, restless sleep, bed-wetting, mood changes and difficulty focusing. That’s where Dr. Koval can help — and this type of work is deeply personal for her.
Dr. Koval began studying airway-focused treatment after noticing sleep-related concerns in her own children. One of her children struggled with nightly bed-wetting, fatigue and fear around bedtime. After midfacial expansion treatment, she said those symptoms in her child just disappeared. “It’s a miracle that I experienced myself — as a mother and as a provider.”
According to Dr. Koval, 3D diagnostic technology has helped move the dental field forward by allowing practitioners to see the head, neck, airway and sinuses in greater detail than traditional two-dimensional X-rays. Her state-of-the-art practice participates in research focused on obstructive sleep apnea and collaborates with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Sleep Laboratory.
While CPAP therapy remains widely used for sleep apnea, Dr. Koval believes, “They definitely do improve quality of life ... but they might not cure the disease itself.” Which is what her goal is.
Ultimately, Dr. Koval hopes airway-driven orthodontics becomes more widely understood. She has patients who come see her from around the world, not just South Florida, which she finds very rewarding.
“I want to spread the word about this dental approach, so it eventually becomes a standard of care in our community.”
Dr. Koval Orthodontics, 3020 N. Military Trail, Ste. 210, Boca Raton, 954-231-3820, drssk.com
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