Send us Fan MailCrooked teeth are easy to spot. The harder question is what they might be trying to tell us about a child’s growth, breathing, and sleep.We sit down with Dr Vishal Sharma of Aura Orthodontics in British Columbia to unpack a broader view of orthodontics rooted in dentofacial orthopaedics. We talk about jaws as the foundation that teeth “ride on" and why crowding can be a sign of an undersized airway as much as a dental problem. Along the way we explore practical warning signs clinicians and parents can notice early: paediatric snoring, restless sleep, bedwetting, teeth grinding, fatigue, and the “bags under the eyes” look that often gets normalised.We also tackle the uncomfortable middle ground between compelling clinical outcomes and research that has not fully caught up. Vishal shares how he thinks about evidence-based practice when the data is promising but incomplete, what he wants future university research to measure around palatal expansion and airway dimensions, and how to talk honestly about uncertainty without over-claiming. Finally, we zoom out to leadership: building a multi-site team while protecting culture, communication, and a clear clinical philosophy.If you care about airway health, facial development, paediatric sleep apnoea, and earlier orthodontic assessment, this conversation will give you new questions to ask at the chairside. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Guest Biography Dr Vishal Sharma is an orthodontist based in British Columbia, Canada, and a leader at Aura Orthodontics, a growing orthodontic organisation with three locations and a team of approximately 40. After completing dental school and orthodontic training at New York University (NYU), Dr. Sharma returned to British Columbia, where he has now practised orthodontics for approximately 15 years. His clinical interests extend beyond dental alignment into dentofacial development, airway health and the potential relationship between jaw development, breathing and sleep. His interest in this area became particularly personal through observing the growth and development of his twin sons. Alongside his clinical work, Dr. Sharma is interested in strengthening the research base surrounding airway-focused orthodontics and discusses his work to develop further research in collaboration with a local university. He also leads the continued growth of Aura Orthodontics while developing educational initiatives aimed at healthcare practitioners.Links Website: https://www.auraortho.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-vishal-sharma/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auraortho/Subscribe on SubstackVoices in Health and Wellness is published on Substack, as part of The Diagnostician. Every episode lands there with written notes and reflections you won't find in the podcast feed. Free to subscribe.👉 https://thediagnostician.substack.com/s/voices-in-health-and-wellnessAbout the podcastVoices in Health and Wellness features conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential, with clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of care.About Dr Andrew GreenlandUK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Trained in both conventional and root-cause approaches, Andrew helps people optimise health, performance, and longevity, with a focus on cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.

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