Sleep Apnea Treatment
Best Candidates
People who suffer from severe sleep apnea are not good candidates for a dental solution. In such cases, a Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machine may be one of the best options. However, there are some patients who do not respond to CPAP machines or are not a good candidates for other reasons. So, if you fall into that category or have a mild to moderate snoring problem, a dental solution may be just what you need. OSA can be dangerous since it literally prevents you from breathing hundreds of times a night when the tissues in your throat and soft palate collapse. When this happens, your airway is blocked, and no oxygen gets to your organs or brains. So needless to say, it is critical to get yourself properly diagnosed and treated with the best solutions.
Tribeca Smiles also offers sleep apnea testing to help our patients determine if they are in need of an oral appliance. The sleep testing device can be used at home during your nightly sleep session. Results are submitted directly to your physician, who then gives you the approval to receive an oral appliance therapy from your dentist. Sleep apnea is a common health problem that is often left untreated because it is dismissed as severe snoring. While snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, patients who suffer from this stop breathing during sleep, resulting in serious health problems if left untreated.
What to Expect
Sleep apnea treatment with Dr. Solomon at Tribeca Smiles utilizes oral appliance therapy, which can be a very effective therapy for OSA. It is a custom-made device that fits in your mouth at night. It can be compared to a mouth guard for sports or a retainer. The main difference to expect is instead of guarding your teeth against injury, the night guard gently sets the jaw in a forward position to keep your airway open. There are more than a hundred different models on the market, but Dr. Solomon will work with you to make sure you get the right one. This will come after he conducts an examination of your teeth, jaw, tongue, and airway. You will also have digital x-rays taken so that we can make impressions of your teeth to create your oral appliance.
Follow-Up
Once your appliance has been manufactured at a high-tech dental lab, it will be time for a fitting. Tribeca Smiles will contact you for a follow-up appointment. Dr. Solomon will fit the night guard into your mouth and adjust it according to your feedback to get it as comfortable as possible. He will also help you learn everything about your new snoring/sleep apnea protection — how to store, clean, and maintain it as well as how to wear it on a nightly basis. He will also want you to bring it to your routine check-ups, or come back every year to check for wear and tear, or if you are having any issues with it. The expectation is that your quality of life will dramatically improve if you properly follow nightly procedures to get some restful sleep.
Sleep Better, More Soundly
If you went through every day having your breathing interrupted hundreds of times from your airway being blocked, you wouldn’t waste a second in getting it corrected. However, when the same thing happens in your sleep, it can be easy to put off since you may not remember when you wake up. But those who do not address OSA are much more likely to have memory loss, headaches, depression, as well as increased risk of stroke and heart problems. The devices are well tolerated by most people, and they are lightweight and easy to travel with. If you think it’s time to do something about your sleep apnea, stop by Tribeca Smiles.
Plan Your Procedure
If you’re unhappy with the appearance or function of your teeth for any reason, we encourage you to contact us today and schedule a consultation.
516-518-9465