Sleep Apnea/ Snoring
 
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Sleep Apnea is a serious medical condition that affects over 4 percent of the adult population. It is characterized by a cessation of breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea results in the patient waking up several times during the night time, often without realization of the arousals. Many patients will awaken hundreds of times during the night, awakening un-refreshed, sleepy and completely unaware of the arousing events.

Some of the symptoms of sleep apnea are: daytime sleepiness, snoring, fatigue, irritability, dry mouth and sore throat. Often the partner is the first one to report the problem. Not surprisingly, there has been a reported correlation between patients with sleep apnea and partners with hearing loss.

However, not all snorers have sleep apnea, and not all sleep apnics snore. The risk factors for sleep apnea include: increasing age, male sex, obesity, large neck size, small mandible (micrognathia), alcohol consumption and large tonsils. However, affected people, often will not have these characteristics.

There are several consequences of untreated sleep apnea. Because the patient stops breathing, he/she does not receive enough oxygen and the patient suffers several episodes of hypoxia each night. There is a well documented correlation between sleep apnea and hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, strokes and congestive heart failure. Also, excessive daytime sleepiness leads to thousands of accident related deaths each year.

There are several treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea. For the patient with mild sleep apnea, lifestyle changes may be sufficient to improve sleep and resolve daytime sleepiness. These changes include weight loss, alcohol cessation and sleeping on one's side as opposed to one's back. More often, the patient will require additional therapy.

One treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine, which blows air through a thin tube that is attached to a mask worn over a patient's nose.  The air that blows through the patient's airway keeps the airway open and prevents it from being obstructed. This treatment is not well liked by patients and can be very intrusive therefore Dr. Simmons has an innovative alternative to the CPAP machine! 

Dr. Simmons uses a small appliance much like an orthodontic retainer to prevent the tongue from falling back into the throat and blocking the airway while sleeping. For patients that cannot or do not want to wear the CPAP machine, an oral appliance is the most common prevention and relief of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. 

Our dental practice has the special expertise that few practices anywhere can offer. Dr. Simmons and his staff are among a small number of dental sleep practices in the United States that are qualified to manage this dangerous disorder. We strictly adhere to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines for the proper management of patients who have disturbed breathing during sleep.  The medical, social and behavioral consequences of not treating these disorders can be very serious. It is important for patients to be aware of the symptoms of sleep apnea and also important for primary care providers to ask all patients about their sleep history.

For more information about Sleep Apnea see Dr. Simmons' sleep health website: www.cpaporcus.com.

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