A LITTLE SCIENCE

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IN THE PAST, SLEEP APNEA WAS NOT RECOGNIZED LIKE IT IS TODAY.  TODAY we realize that a significant portion of the population, more than 30% of men, and 20% of women suffer from sleep apnea.

So  what is sleep apnea and what does it have to do with snoring?  It's really simple.  Apnea is a constriction or blocking of the air-tube by the sides collapsing.. like a balloon when you let the air out.  Hypopnea is simply a narrowing of the air-tube..  SNORING occurs when the soft tissue at the back of the throat vibrates. IF YOUR AIRWAY COLLAPSES MORE THAN 4 TIMES AN HOUR  GUESS WHAT?.. YOU HAVE SLEEP APNEA.  Sleep apnea is broken down into mild, moderate and severe.  Oral appliances work best with mild to moderate sleep apnea/hypopnea, but also can help severe patients who may not tolerate a CPAP machine.

Oral appliances work by moving the lower jaw forward, much like the old "chin lift" method of CPR opened the airway..  There are literally hundreds of Oral appliance designs.  We use several  oral appliance designs that we have determined are the " best" for a particular patient.  We believe the opening of the airway via moving the lower jaw forward to a precisely determined position is most important.

There are many different symptoms/conditions associated with of sleep apnea:  RLS (restless leg syndrome), indigestion, daytime sleepiness,, heart problems, weight gain, impotence, diabetes, increase in auto accidents, and many others.  There is no doubt that sleep apnea plays a role in degenerative brain diseases as well as a role in cancer initiation.   Did he die "in his sleep" or did he choke to death from sleep apnea??? 

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN CONCLUSIVELY THAT THE SPOUSE OF A SEVERE SNORER IS MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER SEVERE SYSTEMIC DISTURBANCES, THAN THE SNORER.  .  Another reason for seperate bedrooms I guess!

What are the facts about CPAP?- Simple..  after three years, research says only about 15% of CPAP USERS USE THEIR MACHINE REGULARLY, AND REGULAR USE IS very IMPORTANT TO PREVENT ALL OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS.  WHAT ABOUT ORAL APPLIANCE COMPLIANCE?  PATIENTS ARE 4x MORE LIKELY TO USE AN ORAL APPLIANCE FOR THREE YEARS THAN A CPAP MACHINE!

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???  CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE EVALUATION.. GET YOUR  ZZZZZZ'Z WITH US!!(tm)