Stressful breathing during sleep can create inflammation, chronic stress, and damage your teeth, jaws, and soft tissue. The Seattle Protocol is a six step method used to identify the appropriate dental appliance to improve your breathing-related dental problems. Typically, doctors make night guards or sleep appliances without knowing in advance if they are going to work. Using this airway protocol allows your doctor to preview your sleep device in a provisional manner before fabricating your final oral appliance. The protocol also provides a proof of concept that your dentist can use in planning your customized dental treatment plan. Often treating the root cause of a dental problem will improve a patient's airway and sleep quality while helping to ensure any dental work lasts for years to come. Your Dr. May recommend the Seattle protocol as a diagnostic tool if your upper airway is narrow or small, or if you have other signs of airway dysfunction contributing to your dental issues like nighttime tooth grinding, tooth wear, and fractures, temporomandibular disorder, dental erosion, or malocclusion. The Seattle protocol typically begins with an easy to use sleep quality screening device to collect airway data at home, or you may be referred to your physician for a sleep study. Step one of the protocol starts with two weeks of nasal breathing therapy. Steps two through six consist of sleeping with different types of temporary night guards for two to three nights at a time. Patients stop on the step of the protocol that improves their symptoms. Once the optimal jaw position is determined, a final night guard is fabricated. Your doctor can then explore numerous treatment options to help you maintain the advantages of the appliance all day long without the device. Consult with your doctor about how the Seattle Protocol may help you achieve optimal oral health and well-being.