Day: March 2, 2018

Snoring Sounds An Alarm

Quality sleep is necessary for optimal daytime functioning. Insufficient or poor sleep quality has been linked to diabetes, hypertension, driving accidents, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) and even premature death.

Research shows that approximately 87 million Americans snore and over 40 million of those are chronic suffers of sleep disorders. However, approximately only 10% of sleep disorders are diagnosed. Fortunately, dentists are now being trained to recognize signs of risk for sleep disorders and how to treat such disorders.

Snoring is a red flag as it could be an early sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). In fact, an alarming 40% of snorers have been shown to have OSA. And, while snoring and sleep apnea can stem from a variety of causes, the results are always disruptive for the sufferer and nearly as disturbing for the apnea patient’s family members.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine now recommends oral appliances as a primary or first line of treatment for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. The guidelines state that patients should always be offered the choice of an oral appliance if they have mild to moderate OSA.

Our treatments include the latest in FDA-approved oral appliance therapy (OAT), also known as mandibular advancement devices (MAD), to keep the airway unobstructed during sleep. We are highly trained in fitting and maintaining a wide variety of oral devices to reposition the mandible, retain the tongue below the airway and provide positive airway space to limit apnea episodes and their related loss of sleep.

Results of this type of therapy have been encouraging, and many patients report fewer sleep interruptions, more restful nights and greatly diminished daytime fatigue as well as improved health. In addition, family members report improved sleep when their bed partners are less likely to awaken suddenly or snore.

It may interest you to know that many health insurance plans do reimburse for OAT and its related services and therapies. Our office will be happy to work with patients to assist in any coverage benefits that may apply to their course of treatment. We will work closely with you and your physician to provide the best treatment option.

Call us today to make an appointment. You’ll find yourself sleeping fitfully in no time.


Oral Cancer Bad and Good News

Unfortunately, the incidence of oral cancers is rising quickly. While cancers of the mouth used to be seen mostly in people with high risk factors (smoking, snuff use, alcohol use, family history of cancer, aging), the biggest rise has been in people with NO apparent risk factors. One out of four people who get oral cancer fall into the “no risk” group. In addition, oral cancers are very deadly, and horribly disfiguring, with only a 50% survival rate. EARLY DETECTION IS CRITICAL! 

More than 34,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year, compared with 9,700 cases of cervical cancer per year. However, unlike cervical cancer, until recently there was no early detection test for oral cancers. The good news is that now that has changed! We now have  Identafi early screening test to assist in early detection.
We’re proud and excited to be one of the few offices in the state to have invested in the latest and best cancer screening technology available, the Identafi screening device. This amazing equipment allows us to “see” down to the inner cell layers for any cancerous or pre-cancerous cell changes, vastly improving our ability for early detection. Best of all, it is absolutely painless.
Patients with no risk factors need to have this inexpensive test done once per year, and those at high risk every six months.