Breathe a Little Easier

Most people don’t expect a visit to the dentist to turn into a conversation about how they’re sleeping. But for Dr. Kasie Culotta, that’s exactly what it’s about. She is a proud dentist who focuses on far more than just teeth. She recognizes that our bodies are one connected system and incorporates that into her unique approach. 

This philosophy is what inspired Austin Sleep and Airway Health, a practice that looks beyond the smile to understand how the mouth, jaws, tongue, and airway influence breathing, sleep, growth, and overall health. Instead of simply treating symptoms, Dr. Culotta focuses on finding the reason they’re happening in the first place. Solving those problems often means looking at the bigger picture. 

“No one provider has all the answers,” she says. “The best care happens when we work together.”

That’s why Austin Sleep and Airway Health works closely with sleep physicians, ENT specialists, pediatricians, orthodontists, lactation consultants, myofunctional therapists, and other healthcare providers to create a treatment plan that addresses the root cause instead of simply managing symptoms. 

Help for All 

One of the things that makes her practice unique is the wide range of patients Dr. Culotta sees. Her youngest patients are just days old. Through her infant-focused practice, Latched Beginnings, she helps babies with feeding difficulties and oral restrictions, including tongue ties, which she treats with a CO₂ laser. As children grow, her attention shifts toward helping families recognize early signs of developmental issues.  

“My favorite patients are kids between four and seven,” she says. “If we can see them before puberty, we have a tremendous opportunity to guide healthy growth.” She explains that before puberty, the bones of the face and jaws are still developing. Many parents don’t realize that airway problems can show up in surprising ways. A child who snores, breathes through their mouth, wets the bed beyond the expected age, grinds their teeth, struggles to focus, has frequent cavities, or always seems tired may actually have an underlying airway issue. Treating children at an earlier age may help to avoid more serious issues as adults. 

Adults have their own warning signs. Loud snoring, chronic fatigue, morning headaches, jaw pain, waking throughout the night, high blood pressure, brain fog, or difficulty tolerating a CPAP machine can all point to problems that deserve a closer look. For adults diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, the practice offers custom oral appliance therapy as an alternative to CPAP for many patients. These small, comfortable devices gently reposition the jaw to help keep the airway open during sleep. Since many adults with sleep-disordered breathing also experience TMJ pain, clenching, and grinding, Dr. Culotta also offers treatments such as Botox and trigger-point injections to relieve muscle tension and discomfort. 

Technology plays an important role in the practice. “Having a 3D CBCT scan in my office allows me to see so much more than the average provider. And the cherry on top: it’s very low dose, so it’s an easy scan to take. It is done in just seconds, but tells us so much more than a traditional X-ray.” 

Treating With Care

Providing cutting-edge technology is amazing, but it’s truly the relationships she develops with her patients that matter most to Dr. Culotta. She chose Mueller for her practice because it already felt like home. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she has lived in Austin for more than two decades, and she and her family have lived in Cherrywood for the past 12 years. Mueller is exactly the kind of community she hoped to serve since it’s full of young families, growing kids, and people who really value their health. 

She’s also one of those neighbors you’ll likely bump into outside the office. Whether she’s walking around Mueller Lake Park with her two daughters, grabbing coffee at Empowered Cafe, or spending an afternoon at the Thinkery, she’s part of the same community she cares for every day. “I wanted to build a practice that felt approachable, collaborative, and connected to the neighborhood.” The community has embraced that vision. 

“The response has honestly exceeded my expectations,” she says. “Families, physicians, therapists, and other healthcare providers have been so supportive. It’s exciting to see more people learning how important airway health really is.” 

The moments that stick with her most are often the simplest. A patient who finally sleeps through the night after years of exhaustion. A child who begins breathing through their nose instead of their mouth. A baby who can finally feed comfortably. Those victories, she says, are what make the work so rewarding. 

That mission continues to guide Austin Sleep and Airway Health today: helping patients recognize concerns early, bringing the right healthcare professionals together, and improving not just sleep, but health and quality of life for years to come.