If you or a loved one snore or have difficulty sleeping at night, we encourage you to call our office and have a sleep study done to rule out this potentially fatal condition. Or, if you have been diagnosed and are seeking alternative solutions for obstructive sleep apnea or sleep disturbed breathing issues, call us to explore a sleep apnea dental appliance today! We have different appliances for different needs.

The Sleep Deprivation Reality

We spend approximately 1/3 of our lives asleep. The impact of sleep deprivation affects nearly all of the body’s systems. Further, sleep deprivation worsens almost every disease (ie: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immune diseases). Dropping from 7 hours of sleep per night to 5 hours creates double the risk for cardiovascular death.

Reports estimate approximately 20% of adults suffer from sleep apnea. Yet sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and unidentified 90-95% of the time. The spouse of someone with a sleep breathing disorder (snoring or apnea) looses an average of 90 minutes of sleep per night. Nearly 25% of partners report sleeping in different rooms because of snoring partners.

Regrettably a recent survey showed that 76% of physicians who were not sleep specialists do not screen their patients for sleep breathing disorders and therefore do not refer their patients for testing or treatment. It is time for dentistry to step up to the plate. Lives can be significantly improved… and saved.

Lack of Sleep Can Be Harmful to Oral Health

A recent study by the American academy of periodontology showed that lack of sleep ranked just #2 under smoking as the lifestyle negatively affecting oral health. Research is ongoing but has so far shown that sleep breathing disorders are implicated in the creation or exacerbation of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disorders, impotence, depression, poor memory, menstrual irregularities, weight gain and bruxism (teeth grinding).

Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea:

• Unexplained sleepiness
• Gerd, heartburn
• Depression, mood changes
• Unexplained weight gain
• Increased blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Dry mouth