Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sometimes snoring is not just snoring and there can be serious medical comorbidities. We screen all of our patients for obstructive sleep apnea.  Screening is fast and painless.   While it has been said that the eyes are the gateway into the mind, similarly it can be said that the structures inside the mouth (teeth, tongue, airway, etc.) are the gateway to sleep apnea.   Trained professionals can see a lot, just by looking. Testing for sleep apnea is now easier than ever. You no longer have to take yourself to a sleep testing center and sleep in an unfamiliar environment for the test.  Testing can be done, reliably, and in the comfort of your own bed.   The test is mailed to you, you use it for two nights (while sleeping in your own bed), and mail it back. The result are then read by a board-certified medical doctor.  With a diagnosis confirmed, appropriate treatment options are then recommended.  The solution for many people is a small, quiet, comfortable oral appliance (a special type of mouthguard) that moves the lower jaw forward slightly, which opens up the airway.   While a CPAP mask is the standard of care, especially for the most severe cases, the device suffers from a compliance problem.  Studies show that more than half of people who have been prescribed the CPAP mask are not wearing it 12 months later.  CPAP sufferers and their bed partners complain that the CPAP mask is cumbersome, claustrophobic, and loud.