Do you wake up feeling tired and not refreshed?
Have you been told that you snore?
Maybe you should consider an Oral Sleep Appliance from Orlando Family Dentistry, LLC.
Sleep Apnea
There are two distinct types of Sleep Apnea that we are aware of: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and Central Sleep Apnea. Although some of the clinical side effects may be the same, the causes for each are different, as are the treatment options. While still important to recognize and diagnose all types of apnea, Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the only type we are able to treat in our dental office using Oral Appliance Therapy.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is characterized by recurrent episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. This collapse causes an obstruction that partially or completely restricts airflow. Individual events can last for a few seconds or in some cases over a minute. People suffering from OSA frequently have dozens of these individual events per night; a severe sufferer can have hundreds.
Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) is considered the first line of treatment available for mild to moderate OSA patients when taking into account both treatment efficiency and patient compliance.
Advantages of OAT
Oral Appliance Therapy is a non-invasive, reversible solution that requires minimal compliance. In addition to the obvious benefits of eliminating snoring, reducing apnea and improving quality of sleep there are other great benefits of OAT.
- High Compliance (CPAP therapy has a very low compliance rate)
- More comfortable than CPAP (and less noisy!)
- Highly Effective
- Portable
- Easy to Use
- Easy to adjust
Screening and Testing at our practice
Basic screening is done using standard rhinometry (which measures the cross sectional area of the nasal passages) and pharyngometry (which measures the cross sectional area of back of the mouth and the throat). These tests are performed using doppler sound waves and is completely painless. Pharyngometry allows us to measure your airway in different jaw positions, so an oral appliance can be made in a specific and custom position that will ensure the appliance keeps your airway open during sleep, and reduces or eliminates the airway obstruction.
