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Elmira, NY dental practice Chemung Family Dental is providing free in-house sleep assessments to patients suffering from sleep apnea or related disorders. Continue reading
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Mar 28, 2014 /prREACH/ -- Elmira, NY dental practice Chemung Family Dental is providing free in-house sleep assessments to patients suffering from sleep apnea or related disorders. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes a person’s breathing to be interrupted during sleep. These pauses or cessations of breathing are called apneas. Each apnea can last up to 20 seconds and can occur up to 30 times per hour. Apneas can be caused by many factors, some linked to oral health and mouth, tongue and jaw positioning. Sleep apnea sufferers record less time in deep, restorative sleep that is necessary to maintain a healthy energy level and brain activity, which causes lethargy and other complications due to the brain’s interrupted oxygen flow during apneas. This makes sleep apnea a very dangerous condition that many may not even know they suffer from.
“Sleep apnea can be diagnosed after an overnight sleep test done in the comfort of your own home. Undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea affects up to 5% or more of adults in Western countries, all of whom are viable candidates for a sleep study,” says Dr. Richard Dunn. Sleep apnea can be divided into two core types, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). OSA is the most common type of sleep apnea and is caused by obstructions in the airway that occur during sleep when the soft tissue of the throat collapses. When the airway is restricted the airflow velocity increases and results in loud snoring and choking sounds. CSA is not the result of a collapsing airway but is instead caused by the brain’s inability to correctly signal the respiratory functions that control breathing during sleep.
“We are offering a free sleep study that is completed in-house for the convenience of our patients. There’s no need to visit a hospital or sleep center to complete this important assessment,” Dr. Richard Dunn said. Dental solutions for sleep apnea include a recently developed mouthpiece which orients the tongue and jaw to align for unobstructed air intake during sleep. A dental specialist will create the mouthpiece after taking a mold of the patient’s teeth, and it can be adjusted over time to accommodate improved sleeping habits and positioning. Learn more about the free sleep study at Chemung Family Dental by visiting their website, www.chemungfamilydental.com and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjufMWFkgAk.