SLEEP DISORDERS & TMJ TREATMENT

Sleep Apnea Treatment

To maintain healthy breathing and sleeping rhythm

Stop Snoring With New, Easy Dental Device

Snoring affects 30 percent of people in the United States, while second-hand snoring (being kept up as well as having your sleep disrupted by a snoring partner) affects approximately 73 percent of individuals that sleep at night with someone who snores.

Snoring doesn’t look like a worrisome problem. In fact, it seems like such a natural thing to do. Seriously, we’ve been sleeping with, and joking about, rattle-the-roof snorers since Adam started snoring in Eden. “Now,” Dr. Busch and Dr. VanYperen explain, “research shows that snoring is harmful to the snorer’s health because the sleeper can’t get enough air during sleep.” Imagine breathing through one of those tiny drink stir straws for an entire day at work. Now you can see what your brain is enduring all night as you snore

*** The following video may be too disturbing for some viewers ***

Enduring The Exhausting Cycle Of Sleep Apnea

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The sleep apnea cycle…

  • falling asleep
  • jaw relaxing
  • airway collapsing
  • an extended time with no oxygen
  • unconsciously awakening along with a gasp
  • going back to sleep only to start the cycle again

…may repeat itself 50 or maybe more times per hour during the night. Together with a blocked air passage, the snorer cannot acquire sufficient oxygen, and this may result in some other difficulties.

If You’re The Spouse/Partner Of A Snorer…

No doubt you know about the undesirable results of second-hand smoke, but have you seen the news about how damaging second-hand snoring can be to you? Studies have shown that bedmates of people who snore can be deprived of just as much sleep as the snorer. When you consider that snorers may top out at nearly 80 decibels, a bed partner’s nightly blasts are more intrusive than trying to get a good night’s sleep while strapped to a hand-held vacuum cleaner.

According to recent research by the Mayo Clinic and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, those who are unlucky enough to have a snorer in their bed have more pain, complain of increased fatigue, are more apt to fall asleep while driving, and could wind up losing some of their hearing in certain frequency ranges. One alarming Mayo Clinic study showed that spouses of chronic snorers were pulled out of their sleep an average of 21 times an hour, nearly as often as the 27 times an hour the snoring person partially woke up.

What works on most people’s snoring problem is a specially fashioned piece of plastic worn in the mouth every night by the snorer and available from a dentist, like Dr. Busch or Dr. VanYperen, specifically trained in treating sleep disordered breathing. The custom-fitted plastic piece moves the lower jaw into a more forward position, preventing the airway from closing and ending the resultant vibration of the soft tissues. Try this out on yourself right now. Simply lie back, move your lower jaw forward, relax and try to get your throat to make snoring sounds. It’s nearly impossible.

If you have a chronic snorer in your life and in your bed, suggest a visit to a qualified dentist, like Dr. Busch or Dr. VanYperen. There’s a good chance that soon, the two of you will finally be more alert and healthier.

Oral Appliance Alleviates Snoring/Sleep Apnea

A solution available to those who snore loudly or have sleep apnea is actually an oral appliance offered by Dr. Busch and Dr. VanYperen. An appliance is positioned in the mouth and worn much like a mouth protector used in sports. It cuts down on sleep apnea associated health threats without the need for surgery or medicines.

By promoting sufficient air intake, the device allows snorers to at long last get some good rest.

CPAP vs. Oral Appliances

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine now considers dental appliances a first line treatment for Snoring and mild to moderate Sleep Apnea, they are also ideal for patients with severe sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP or as an alternative when traveling where there is no access to power. Dental Sleep Appliances have been scientifically proven to be very effective; “over 95% of patients are satisfied with the level of improvement with their snoring when assessed and treated correctly”.

Some common problems with CPAP are:

  • The mask is uncomfortable
  • The mask is unconsciously taken off at night
  • The mask irritates the skin and the nose
  • Air pushes into the stomach or sinuses
  • The mask leaks air
  • The pressure of the CPAP is bothersome
  • The CPAP machine is too noisy to allow sleep
  • The tubing gets in the way
  • You just can’t get used to the mask
  • The mask triggers your claustrophobia
  • Your nose might be stuffed up
  • The air is too hot, too cold or too dry

Whatever the reason, some people just cannot tolerate CPAP. According to research, it was noted that “long-term use of a dental device achieved an 81% success rate in apnea improvement, which was significantly higher than the 53% success rate noted for the standard surgical treatment for snoring: uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).”

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s journal, Sleep, stated that, “Oral appliances are indicated for use in patients with obstructive sleep apnea who prefer oral appliances to CPAP, or who do not respond to CPAP, are not appropriate candidates for CPAP, or who fail treatment attempts with CPAP or treatment with behavioral measures such as weight loss or sleep-position change.”

Oral appliances are associated with better compliance than CPAP systems for many patients. Oral appliances can also be used as first-line treatment for primary snoring that is not associated with obstructive sleep apnea.

If you are either tired of snoring and getting no restful sleep, OR, tired of trying to wear that CPAP mask, call our office today. It might just save your life. (816) 471-2911

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