Sleep Apnea Dentist and Disordered Breathing

US statistics show there is an epidemic of sleep apnea(SA) and disordered breathing today. 100 million Americans snore. 30% of the US population demonstrates disordered breathing. It has been estimated that 20 million Americans suffer from moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) and at least one person in five (65 million Americans) has mild OSA. The current medical healthcare system is failing to recognize and diagnose these problems. This paves the way for a new age of dentistry "Integrative Dental Sleep Medicine".

The field of Dentistry is merging with medicine to help fight the epidemic of sleep disorders and SA. As dentists we are the physicians of the masticatory system and the gatekeepers of the entrance to the body. It is known that as a dentist we have the advantage of seeing our patients a minimum of 2 times per year for regular hygiene visits. This allows us the opportunity to observe and recognize the signs and symptoms associated with obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) in our patients as early as 3 years old. We as a dental profession must now communicate more than ever with the medical profession to insure that every patient is able to develop anatomically correct in order to promote nasodiaphragmatic breathing.

What is Sleep Apnea and Disordered Breathing?

SA is only one example of various sleeping airway issues that are referred to as Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB). For instance, although snoring is a very important symptom that occurs in both children and adults, some individuals who have sleeping issues don't snore. Dr. Lindner has extensive experience in recognizing the problem referred to as Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) which is frequently found in women. Individuals who just have a slight airway obstruction may be just as tired as somebody who has SA since their sleep still gets interrupted and the person doesn't end up getting enough refreshing, restful and deep shuteye.

A majority of people who have these issues just think it is normal since they don't realize how good it would feel to have refreshing sleep. So if you wake up tired every day, and are tired throughout the day, then you might have SDB. Also no matter how old you are, if you snoring, then you most likely aren't getting enough of a siesta. Your sleep cycle can be disrupted by even light snoring and it stops you from getting the restful, deep slumber that you need. Anything that interrupts your napping on a regular basis will place stress on your body which will then lead to numerous other symptoms. A couple of the side effects resulting from SDB include night sweats, backaches, headaches, indigestion, depression, and high blood pressure. All of these side effects are associated with stress, so having stress during the day as well as at night adds up to double stress.

Types Of Sleep Apnea

"Apnea" in Greek means "without breath." Apnea comes in three different forms: mixed, a combination of central SA and obstructive SA. The most common of the three is (OSA). Although the root cause for each type is different, with all three, individuals who have SA that is untreated stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night while they are sleeping, sometimes hundreds of times and frequently for longer than a minute.

Sleep Apnea Problems

SA is quite common. In fact, it is just as common as adult diabetes is, and the National Institutes of Health reports that it affects over twelve million Americans. Risk factors include being older than forty, overweight or male. However, SA strikes people of all ages, including children. However, due to healthcare professionals, dentists, and the general public having a lack of awareness about this condition, most people remain undiagnosed and untreated, even though it is a very serious disorder that can have very serious consequences.

When SA is left untreated it may cause high blood pressure as well as headaches, impotency, weight gain, memory problems, and various cardiovascular diseases. Untreated SA might also be responsible for motor vehicle crashes and job impairment. Fortunately, it is possible to treat and diagnose SA. Dr. Lindner provides the redesigned Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP) appliance for treating snoring and SA.

When breathing stops for 10 seconds or more, oxygen levels in the blood might drop alarmingly low. Over eighteen million people have OSA whereby these episodes occur throughout the night. This can impact the heart and other organs, along with being connected with Type II Diabetes, Stomach Reflux, daytime drowsiness, anxiety, headaches, grinding of teeth, and increased danger of cardiovascular disease, strokes, and death.

Dr.Lindner provides a range of treatments for snoring and SA. Starting with a comprehensive office examination. Dental Sleep Medicine partners with Board Qualified Sleep Physicians and local accredited sleep centers to deliver the most cost-effective and streamlined process of taking a patient from screening to treatment completion in the shortest amount of time. It is possible to assess the existence of sleep-disordered breathing. The process begins with a simple survey on our website "Take Our Life-Saving Survey"