WHAT IS SLEEP APNEA?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Oral Appliance Therapy
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your muscles relax during sleep, allowing the soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. As a result, sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing up to hundreds of times a night for anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute. Snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, memory problems, irritability, fatigue and insomnia are all signs that you could be losing shut-eye to sleep apnea. If left untreated, sleep apnea can be a potentially life threatening condition. It can increase the risk for other serious health problems such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression and impotence.
The traditionally prescribed treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. It involves sleeping with a face mask connected by tubing to a constantly running machine. Although CPAP is effective, up to half of patients don’t adhere to the treatment. Dentists can provide an alternate sleep solution with oral appliance therapy.
Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral appliance therapy is an effective, non-invasive treatment option for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea that fits easily into your lifestyle. A dental oral appliance looks like a sports mouth guard and is worn only during sleep. It supports the jaw in a forward position to help maintain an open upper airway, preventing sleep apnea and snoring.
Once you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea by a sleep physician, a dentist experienced in dental sleep medicine such as Dr. Jonathan Held, can make a custom-fitted oral appliance using impressions and models of your teeth. Oral appliance therapy is covered by many medical insurance plans. Patients like it because it’s comfortable, easy to wear, quiet, portable, convenient for travel and easy to clean.
Treating snoring or sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy can help you feel like a new person. You will find that your symptoms, and your quality of life, can improve dramatically when you remain committed to your treatment and use it nightly. Custom-fit oral appliances from Adobe Dental Design of Sedona can improve your sleep, restore your alertness and revitalize your health.
If you have concerns about snoring and sleep apnea, it may be time to make an appointment. If you suspect you may have sleep apnea, Dr. Jonathan Held can recommend a sleep physician to help get you started on your path to treatment. If you have already been diagnosed with sleep apnea, Dr. Jonathan Held can fit you with an oral appliance. Our team at Adobe Dental Design of Sedona is ready to answer your questions about obstructive sleep apnea, dental sleep medicine and oral appliance therapy.
HOW CAN ADOBE DENTAL DESIGN OF SEDONA HELP?
CREATING CUSTOM SLEEP APNEA AND DENTAL DEVICES
Dental devices can be made to help relieve snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. The main purpose of the dental devices is to keep the airway open during sleep, by moving the tongue or lower jaw forward and upward, which moves the tongue forward, to increase the size of the upper airway, to help the patient breath. Such devices are specifically designed by dentists with special expertise in treating sleep apnea. They are generally easy to use and can be used alone or in combination with other treatment plans for sleep-related diagnosis.
Adobe Dental Design of Sedona specializes in crafting and creating the right dental device to suit your lifestyle. Our sleep specialist- Dr. Jonathan Held will work with your physician to help you find the right dental device. Once achieved, you will need to follow up with your dentist to ensure that the device fit is still good and to reassess your sleep apnea symptoms.
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
Adobe Dental Design of Sedona uses the most advanced and effective state of the art technology dental technology to provide patients with gentle, quality care.
CONE-BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CBCT) TECHNOLOGY
Adobe Dental Design of Sedona uses the latest 3D scanners such as the Dental Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) Technology to generate 3D images of our patients’ dental structures, soft tissue, nerve paths and bone – all in a single scan. The CBCT can provide accurate images by moving a cone-shaped X-ray beam around the patient to produce hundreds of high-quality images. These images enable our dentists to execute more precise treatment planning than a traditional X-ray machine.
DIGITAL IMPRESSIONS BY CEREC DIGITAL IMPRESSION SCANNER
Adobe Dental Design of Sedona uses modern, highly accurate wireless digital impression technology – a welcomed departure from the traditional dental practice of uncomfortable trays full of impression materials that taste bad.
As part of the Adobe Dental Design of Sedona luxury experience, our dentists use an intraoral 3D wireless dental scanner to digitally capture every nook and cranny of our patients’ teeth to ensure accurate impressions and make creating high-quality restorations much quicker, reducing chair-time.
Dr. Jonathan Held is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and a PreFellow of the American Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Jon has an extensive background in Dental Sleep Medicine and looks forward to helping you get a better night sleep and have a healthier smile!