HARRELL ORTHODONTICS, DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE & TMJ THERAPY

PHONE: (256) 234-6353

Emergency/After Hours Phone:

(256) 496-2439

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Sleep Apnea Treatment

There are many options when treating sleep disorders. 


Approximately 25 million adults in the U.S. have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can cause them to stop breathing hundreds of times a night for anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute. OSA is a chronic condition that occurs when your muscles relax during sleep, allowing soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. As a result, repeated breathing pauses occur, which often reduce your oxygen levels. These breathing pauses are followed by brief awakenings that disturb your sleep. Common signs of OSA include snoring and gasping or choking sounds during sleep.


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a.     Worked with the world-renowned “Father of Sleep Medicine” at Stanford University, Drs Christian Guilleminault, MD. 

b.     Also worked with Dr. Steven Schendel, DDS, MD, retired Chair of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford university who developed some of the facial surgical techniques for Sleep Apnea. 

The Importance of Treating OSA


Treating OSA is incredibly important to your health. When left untreated, OSA often causes excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue, as well as morning headaches and memory loss. OSA also is a threat to your safety as it increases your risk of drowsy driving and workplace accidents. OSA raises your health risk for serious health problems. These include high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, chronic acid reflux, and erectile dysfunction.


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                           i.    CPAP therapy is considered the “gold standard” to force air into the lungs with a CPAP machine. Even though it is considered “the gold standard” the majority of people prescribed CPAP do not wear it because of intolerance

                                                  ii.    Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) is usually preferred by pateitns because it is portable, no power needed, easy to travel with it, the effectiveness has been show by research to be as effective as CPAP.

                                                 iii.    Inspire Treatment. This is a pace-maker like device that is implanted and only turned on at bedtime and senses when you stop breathing at night and sends an electrical signal to the tongue to move forward and open the airway so breathing is restored.

                                                 iv.    Double Jaw surgery is usually for the patients who have severe problems or have failed at CPAP and OAT.

                                                  v.    There are other less predictable and even dangerous self-treatments that show up on the internet. Buyer beware!! Your health is worth more than saving a few dollars and putting yourself at risk. 


The Growing Issue of OSA in Children and the Importance of Early Detection


As a parent, you know how important a good night’s sleep is for your child’s health and well-being. You also know that if your child is not sleeping well, you are probably not sleeping well.


The first step in helping your child overcome sleep problems is to help determine the cause, then work to eliminate the factors causing the disorder. However, some, if not most, sleep problems require seeking the help of a professional. On the frontline of early diagnosis of sleep disorders in children are your dental and orthodontic specialist. While often there are medical conditions that require the final diagnosis and treatment plans be executed by a medical physician there have been great advances and successes with an oral appliance therapy (OAT).


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                           i.    Best to see a child before age 5 for an airway / respiratory / nasal exam by an ENT, Pediatrician, Airway Focused Orthodontists. Etc.

                                                  ii.    3D Imaging shows the “Anatomic Truth”

                                                 iii.    Non-invasive technology to evaluate Nasal Resistance and Nasal Flow Limitation that may be related to an narrow arched palate, low tongue position, mouth breathing, etc. These technologies we use in our office

a.     Rhinomanometry – Non-invasively measures Nasal Resistance and Flow Limitation

b.     Acoustic Rhinometry – Non-invasively measures the structure of the airway size and shape including the Minimal Cross-Sectional Area which is usually the site of obstruction.

c.     Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF) - Non-invasively measures inspiratory flow.

d.     These are in different places so need to figure where it goes.

e.     Need Hyper links to these terms

We are the first to have this technology


How Oral Appliance Therapy Works


OAT therapy is designed to hold the lower jaw forward during sleep. This repositioning of the jaw moves the tongue away from the back of the throat, reducing the potential for obstruction. Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) is widely accepted and is growing in treatment for adults and children and there has been many scientific studies and evidence of its success as an alternative therapy before moving on to more complicated breathing devices or invasive surgery options. Now with the ability to have views like never before of a patient’s airway and jaw structure using CBCT (Cone Beam Imaging). Custom fit devices can be made for the specific patient, adult, or child. These devices are affordable, portable and custom designed for the patient’s specific needs and anatomical dimensions to provide optimal results for many airway and breathing disorders.


Contact our offices today for an appointment. Let’s discuss your sleep apnea.


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a.     “Breath is Life” The quality of life and the longevity of life are at stake for people who have Sleep Disorders such as: Sleep Apnea, Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) , Respiratory Effort Related Arousals (RERA)

b.     Discus the forward movement on the lower jaw.

Move the Normal and Apnea pictures here

Snoring

Snoring is more than just annoying.

The non-silent disruptor of relationships can be telling you much more about your health.


Snoring is a sound that occurs during sleep when soft tissue in the upper airway vibrates as you breathe. Snoring is not natural and unless you are suffering from a cold or congestion, you should breathe effortlessly when you are awake or asleep. Yet night after night, 1 in 3 adults snore on a regular basis and up to 50% snore occasionally. This comes out to 80 million regularly snoring adults in the United States. Did you know that 59% of people report that their partner snores in bed to a level of their own sleep interruption? In addition, 23% of couples sleep in separate beds, a trend increasingly dubbed “sleep divorce”. Snoring cannot only be a destructive force in a relationship but a sign of much greater health issues that are going on.


Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but everyone who has sleep apnea snores.


Treating Snoring with Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT)

Research shows that oral appliance therapy is an effective treatment option for snoring as well as Obstructive Sleep Apnea. An oral appliance is worn in the mouth only while you sleep and fits like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer. Oral appliances support your jaw in a forward position to help maintain an open upper airway. Many patients consider an oral appliance to be more comfortable to wear and convenient than a CPAP device. Oral appliances also are small, adjustable, affordable, portable, and easy to care for.


Snoring is not sexy and can be a real message from your body that there is more at risk than just your relationship! Contact us today for an appointment

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