Sleep Apnea

 Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea can affect anyone, in fact more than 30 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea.  The Greek word “apnea” literally means “without breath.” Sleep apnea is an involuntary cessation of breathing that occurs while the patient is asleep. There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Of the three, obstructive sleep apnea, often called OSA for short, is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. In most cases the sleeper is unaware of these breath stoppages because they don’t trigger a full awakening.

 

 

Dental Device

A compact, custom-fit oral appliance could help you sleep better.  A dental device is much like a retainer that gently shifts the lower jaw slightly forward to open your airway.  Treatment is simple and can be completed in a few appointments.  The DOT does recognize this device as compliant with all their rules and regulations.  There is a chip in the device that tracks the compliance of the patient and how often the patient is wearing their appliance.