Fatigued? Depressed? Headaches? Do you snore? These are serious symptoms of sleep apnea, which can be fatal! Snoring negatively impacts your quality of life! If you suffer from any of these symptoms:
- loud snoring
- waking up with headaches, dry mouth or choking sensation
- restless or perspiring sleep
- fatigue or depression
- having trouble concentrating or staying awake
- frequent bathroom trips during the night
- depression or sexual dysfunction
- heartburn or rapid weight gain
Speak With Us Today!
To schedule an appointment with Pacific Dental Care and Fastbraces®, please call us at (925) 426-1300 or request an appointment online.
Sleep Apnea – Snoring
Snoring & obstructive sleep apnea is quite common, it affects millions, and is potentially life threatening, being associated with higher risks of strokes and heart attacks! While you sleep, an apnea occurs when breathing stops for ten seconds or more placing significant strain on your cardiovascular system and heart. These disturbances during sleep prevent air from reaching your lungs!
Treatment options for snoring & obstructive sleep apnea may include Oral Appliance Therapy, surgery as a last resort, or a bulky Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) medical unit that sits beside you during sleep, delivering continuous positive air pressure through a facemask or nasal tube attached to a pump. The CPAP requires a lifetime commitment and proper adjustment to achieve maximum clinical benefits and minimal side effects. Oral Appliance Therapy is a device specially designed to reposition the jaw and tongue forward during sleep, thus expanding the airway for easier flow. It is a much safer and easier method of treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
Early detection & diagnosis is vital when it comes to snoring and sleep apnea. Dentists trained in dental sleep medicine and physicians trained in traditional sleep medicine may collaborate in treating patients through accurate diagnosis recording a variety of body functions during sleep. Conducted in a hospital or clinic, a Polysomnograph sensors and measures twelve or more parameters including video monitoring. Reimbursement with co-pay through most medical insurance companies is available.
Another option is a compact ambulatory device with two finger sensors attached which may be leant to you for the evening immediately after the initial consultation for use in the privacy of your home which will test the same values found in a hospital!
Left untreated, snoring & sleep apnea may cause or increase: risk of heart attack, stroke or pulmonary hypertension, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety or memory problems, migraine headaches and weight gain, impotency and sexual dysfunction, motor vehicle accidents, job impairment and hyperactivity in children.
Dr. Bueno and Dr. Sellick utilize the SomnoDent®, a discrete appliance, worn when you sleep, allowing you to close your lips so it is not obvious you are wearing it. You won’t find a more comfortable appliance, due to the fact that it is custom-made to fit your mouth, not impinging on your tongue. Open and close your mouth normally, as the SomnoDent® appliance does not lock or fix your jaws together.
The SomnoDent® appliance offers a one year warranty against manufacturing defects, which means you can have full confidence in the product. Patients with dentures or implants may be successfully fitted with the SomnoDent® appliance, as long as there are sufficient teeth on the lower arch for optimal retention.
Dr. Bueno or Dr. Sellick will thoroughly examine your teeth and mouth and may use X-rays to confirm your oral health status, as well as ensuring that you are dentally appropriate for the appliance. Dental impressions are required to fabricate a SomnoDent® appliance, and then are sent to our laboratory where the appliance is made. Once custom made for you, the appliance will be fitted by a Dr. Bueno or Dr. Sellick, who will show you how to insert and remove it yourself, as well as how to clean and care for it.
The SomnoDent® appliance is the comfortable, effective, custom treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea:
- Permits normal mouth opening
- Allows speech & drinking
- Allows unrestricted tongue space and a full lip-seal
- Easily adjustable
- Safe & effective
- Clinically validated
- Custom-fitted
