Stop Snoring - Control Sleep Apnea - Alternative to CPAP

What can a small dental appliance do for you?

Ensure a good night's sleep for your bed partner and ensure that you spend the night in the same room
Help prevent heart disease, sudden cardiac death, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, depression, memory loss and even erectile dysfunction
Help prevent driving and work-related accidents caused by the excessive daytime sleepiness related to sleep apnea
Provide an alternative for the 25 - 50% of people with sleep apnea who cannot tolerate or would rather not use a CPAP device

To find out if oral appliance therapy is right for you, contact a Snoring Isn't Sexy dentist today.

Find A Sleep Medicine Dentist Who Provides Oral Appliance Therapy in the United States, Canada and Other Countries

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Or, in the United States, call 1-877-77APNEA to be connected directly to a dental office in your neighborhood.

SNORING:

Almost half of adults snore. And the problem is worse with overweight persons.

What Makes the Snoring Noise?

Snoring occurs when there is a partial obstruction to the free flow of air through the mouth and nose. The sound occurs when loose structures in the throat, like the uvula and soft palate, vibrate as air passes over them.

Snoring can get worse when the muscles in the back of the throat are too relaxed either from drugs that induce sleep or alcohol consumption.

Medical

Snoring can be serious both socially and medically.

Snoring & Relationships

Snoring can disrupt marriages and cause sleepless nights for bed partners.

Snoring & Health

Medically, snoring can be the precursor of obstructive sleep apnea that has been linked to heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke. In its own right, snoring has been linked to Type II Diabetes. Sleep apnea usually interrupts loud snoring with a period of silence in which no air passes into the lungs. eventually the lack of oxygen and the increase carbon dioxide will awaken you forcing the airway to open with a loud gasp.

Heavy Snoring & Heart Disease

Heavy snorers are also more likely to suffer a heart attack while asleep than non-snorers. Blood pressure changes caused by snoring may lead to blockage of the coronary arteries and increase the risk of heart disease.

Sleep medicine dentists can control snoring with an oral appliance.

SLEEP APNEA :

Drowsy driving

A Canadian study reported that people with sleep apnea are twice as likely to be in a car crash. They reported that even people with fairly mild sleep apnea had an increased risk of serious crashes.The truckers's associations are informing truck drivers of sleep apnea's seriousness.

Medically, sleep apnea is associated with:

Hypertension
Heart Failure
Coronary occlusion
High blood pressure
Heart beat irregularity
Stroke
Diabetes
Erectile dysfunction
Mental impairment
Depression
Obesity
Increased risk of sudden cardiac death during sleep hours

Impact of sleep apnea on the economy

25 million American suffer from sleep apnea. Of these 200,000 each year are involved in Motor Vehicle Accidents because of sleepiness problems. 38,000 die each year from complications of sleep apnea (i.e. heart attack, stroke etc.)

Cost of health care for sleep apnea patients in the ER or ICU is in excess of $50,000 per patient. The total estimated cost in the United States alone is $ 1.9 billion.

Productivity ratio is at least 10% less in people who suffer from sleep apnea.
That is estimated to costs the US economy $ 75 billion each year

(Statistics are estimates by the American Sleep Apnea Association)

Although there is no dental cure for snoring or sleep apnea, an oral appliance can hold the airway in the back of the throat open during sleep and prevent collapse.

Sleep apnea can be controlled by a sleep medicine dentist who provides oral appliance therapy.

ORAL APPLIANCES:

Custom oral appliances for snoring and sleep apnea. Oral appliances are NOT available over-the-counter in the United States - the only way an appliance is available is by prescription from your physician and construction by your dentist. For more information about oral appliances, visit our oral appliance page.

Dentists who have been educated in sleep medicine can use these appliances effectively.

SLEEP NEWS:

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:15:54 -0500

Dr. Michael Simmons to speak at 2010 ATPA symposium

Dr. Simmons will address screening and diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing, as well as current approaches and therapies that dentists can provide. He will present information that supports the need for dentists to become more involved in this field and how to embark upon the journey to competency......Continue

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:03:00 -0500

Snoring can seriously damage your sex life - say the experts

The audience watching Avatar at the Eden Century Cinema recently got more than the spectacle of alien extravaganza. Right before the start of the movie, in a well-received stunt to promote nasal snoring strips, the audience was treated to a short movie about a couple under stress due to snoring......Continue

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:46:28 -0500

Helping solve sleep problems through the ages

According to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 90 percent of parents think their child is getting enough sleep, but 60 percent of high school students report extreme daytime sleepiness, and more than 25 percent admit to falling asleep in class at least once a week......Continue

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:45:37 -0500

A Nation at Large: Obesity and its impact on physical and mental health

According to the American Cancer Society, obesity rates have risen by 48 percent over the last 15 years. It is a growing problem that often causes health and self-esteem issues and greatly impacts one's quality of life.....Continue

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:44:48 -0500

Oral appliance titration in patients with obstructive sleep apnea induces the appearance of periodic limb movements.

Oral appliance (OA) therapy is considered a first line choice of therapy for some patients with mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and an alternative form of treatment in those intolerant of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) use....Continue