Can My Dentist Treat Sleep Apnea?
Jul. 15 2023
With roughly 18 million people in the United States alone having sleep apnea, and the millions of sheep sufferers of sleep apnea count per night, chances are you are not alone, even if you may feel like it. If you’ve been having trouble sleeping and have been losing sleep trying to get an appointment with an ear, nose, throat specialist, then breathe a sigh of relief because your dentist can help treat your sleep apnea!
How Do Dentists Treat Sleep Apnea?
Dentists are able to practice something known as dental sleep medicine which is the focus of using oral appliances to treat sleep-altering ailments like snoring or specific types of sleep apnea such as obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea can become a very serious condition as it results in incredibly disruptive sleep. This disrupted sleep through a struggle to breathe, if allowed to accumulate, can eventually lead to severe complications such as high blood pressure, increased chance of stroke and heart attack, depression, and even sudden death.
Luckily, if you have expert dental care providers such as Dr. Dean Glasser and Dr. Renee Glasser, your issues with obstructive sleep apnea can go to sleep! It all starts with a dental cone beam scan which helps us precisely determine and evaluate the state of your airways. From there, we’ll go over your treatment options which will be either a CPAP machine that fits over your face and allows for proper breathing or the treatment solution being oral appliances which have a 95% success rate!
Both options can help your obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP machines can be cumbersome, and require hygienic upkeep, but they definitely help! Dental appliances provide therapy faster, easier, and patients find it easier to comply with.
Wonder Which Option Is For You?
If you’re wondering which obstructive sleep apnea treatment is for you, or if you’re wondering if you even have sleep apnea, or if you have any questions regarding your mouth or oral health, trust Dr. Dean Glaser and Dr. Renee Glaser to have the care and expertise you need! If you’re tired of being tired, give us a call at 631-423-6767! We’re happy to help!
Dr. Dean Glasser is a respected Cosmetic and General Dentist, serving Melville, NY and the greater Long Island area. A Professor at Columbia University Dental School, Dr. Glasser is recognized as a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and as a Fellow of the following organizations: the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Association of Hospital Dentistry and the Misch Implant Institute.
