Did you know that 1 in 4 people suffer from Sleep Apnea? It is an under-diagnosed medical issue (80% of people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed) that can have a lot of medical consequences if left untreated. It is more than just snoring or not having a good night’s sleep…although those can be signs of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
RISK FACTORS FOR OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
You may want to talk to us about OSA if you have some of the following risk factors:
- You snore loudly
- You are often tired
- Someone has observed you stop breathing or gasp/choke while you sleep
- You have high blood pressure or take medication for it
- Your BMI is over 35
- You are over 50 years old
- Your neck size is over 17 inches if male or over 16 inches if female
- You are male
We ask these screening questions to all of our patients to help identify those that are at risk to have OSA. The more items you say yes to, the higher the risk.
TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
You probably have heard of a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine and you may have a picture in your head that is less than flattering. Well, the fact is, they still continue to be used because they work!
But did you know that there is an alternative for some people?
That alternative is an oral appliance that can be made by trained dentists like yours truly. I originally did not want to make these appliances because it was a bit of a guessing game. The dentist would see how far the patient could push their jaw forward and usually, they would set the appliance to push the jaw out 75% of that maximum protrusion. Then they would have to see how the patient was feeling and sleeping and adjust the position based on that. It involved a lot of visits to adjust the device and could take a while to get the ideal position figured out.
However, since then, I have learned a lot about some of the most effective treatment options for OSA.
THE ZEPHYR MATRX PLUS SYSTEM AT HOMETOWN DENTAL
My sleep medicine journey started when my boyfriend came into my life. He has OSA and had a sleep test in the past but he struggled with a CPAP and so was not using anything when we met. It was eye-opening to sleep next to someone who can’t breathe properly while they sleep. It was also kind of scary listening to him try to get air in when he was obstructed.
Intrigued, I attended a sleep lecture at the Pacific Dental Conference a couple of years ago where I first met my sleep mentor and he talked about the Zephyr Matrx Plus machine. After learning how cool this machine was, I got really excited about sleep medicine and decided to jump in. I bought the machine and took a mini-residency in Edmonton that was very educational!
Let me tell you a little about why I think the Matrx Plus is so cool (yes, I may be a bit of a nerd). For starters, this machine is a level 3 sleep test machine. This means we can send it home with a patient for a night and it will give us accurate sleep data that I can send to a sleep doctor to get a diagnosis. That means we can find out if you have OSA without having to send you to another clinic for testing. Secondly, we can attach a set of mouth trays to a small motor that connects to the machine and this will move the patient’s jaw around while they sleep and see how their pulse, airflow, oxygen level and snoring respond to different positions. From this, we get a result as to whether an oral appliance will work for the patient or not.
With this machine, there is no wasting time making an oral appliance for someone whose OSA would not improve with this treatment option (these people are then directed to a CPAP trial). In addition, if an appliance will work for the patient, the machine will give us a target position to set the jaw at with the oral appliance.
Bam!
This takes the guesswork out of it! We can still adjust the oral appliance if needed, but it is helping us make more conservative appliances where patients’ jaws are less protruded in general. It also means fewer trips to the office because we are setting the oral appliance in a position that works from the start.
HOMETOWN DENTAL’S FIRST SLEEP APNEA PATIENT
So guess who my first patient was? Me!
I wanted to try the machine to see what it would be like so I could describe it to patients. I knew I started snoring in the last couple of years but otherwise, I thought I slept ok. Well, I was wrong. My diagnosis was mild OSA so I took the machine home with the mouth trays and slept with it for 2 nights. The results indicated I would respond to an oral appliance and told me the measurement that I needed to set the trays to. I am on my second appliance as I wanted to try different ones and I do sleep better when I wear them. My boyfriend also reports less snoring which is a bonus for him.
If you were wondering about him, I did test him and he has moderate to severe OSA but unfortunately, after he did the second sleep test, it was found that he would not respond to an oral appliance. So now he sleeps with a CPAP and feels terrible if he forgets to wear it.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT SLEEP APNEA
I am really interested in educating people about sleep apnea as I feel that it is so important to people’s overall health. Having OSA has been correlated to:
- teeth grinding
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease / Acid Reflux)
- periodontal disease
- TMD (Temporomandibular joint disorders)
- obesity
- hypertension
- impotence
- diabetes
- heart attacks
- headaches
- stroke
- dementia
- depression
- death
Sleep is so important to how our bodies function. Not getting enough good quality sleep leads to inflammation which is the beginning of a lot of health problems.
Did you also know that kids can suffer from sleep apnea? Testing and treatment for kids are different but I like to educate parents if I see risk factors so that they can explore testing and treatment with their medical doctors. Things to watch for in kids include teeth grinding, snoring, poor sleep, ADHD, bedwetting, aggressiveness, poor school performance, unusual sleeping positions, mouth breathing, high arched palate, and large tonsils. Catching OSA in children early is important as a lot of the negative symptoms can be corrected with treatment. The first line of treatment in children is removing tonsils and adenoids.
If you made it this far then I hope you learned a bit about sleep apnea. Hopefully, with education, the number of undiagnosed OSA patients will go down and with more OSA patients getting treated, there will be fewer people with related medical issues. Overall we could have a healthier society!
If you are interested in our sleep program and testing, give us a call at 403-982-3100 or send us an email today.
Did you know that 1 in 4 people suffer from Sleep Apnea? It is an under-diagnosed medical issue (80% of people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed) that can have a lot of medical consequences if left untreated. It is more than just snoring or not having a good night’s sleep…although those can be signs of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
RISK FACTORS FOR OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
You may want to talk to us about OSA if you have some of the following risk factors:
- You snore loudly
- You are often tired
- Someone has observed you stop breathing or gasp/choke while you sleep
- You have high blood pressure or take medication for it
- Your BMI is over 35
- You are over 50 years old
- Your neck size is over 17 inches if male or over 16 inches if female
- You are male
We ask these screening questions to all of our patients to help identify those that are at risk to have OSA. The more items you say yes to, the higher the risk.
TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
You probably have heard of a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine and you may have a picture in your head that is less than flattering. Well, the fact is, they still continue to be used because they work!
But did you know that there is an alternative for some people?
That alternative is an oral appliance that can be made by trained dentists like yours truly. I originally did not want to make these appliances because it was a bit of a guessing game. The dentist would see how far the patient could push their jaw forward and usually, they would set the appliance to push the jaw out 75% of that maximum protrusion. Then they would have to see how the patient was feeling and sleeping and adjust the position based on that. It involved a lot of visits to adjust the device and could take a while to get the ideal position figured out.
However, since then, I have learned a lot about some of the most effective treatment options for OSA.
THE ZEPHYR MATRX PLUS SYSTEM AT HOMETOWN DENTAL
My sleep medicine journey started when my boyfriend came into my life. He has OSA and had a sleep test in the past but he struggled with a CPAP and so was not using anything when we met. It was eye-opening to sleep next to someone who can’t breathe properly while they sleep. It was also kind of scary listening to him try to get air in when he was obstructed.
Intrigued, I attended a sleep lecture at the Pacific Dental Conference a couple of years ago where I first met my sleep mentor and he talked about the Zephyr Matrx Plus machine. After learning how cool this machine was, I got really excited about sleep medicine and decided to jump in. I bought the machine and took a mini-residency in Edmonton that was very educational!
Let me tell you a little about why I think the Matrx Plus is so cool (yes, I may be a bit of a nerd). For starters, this machine is a level 3 sleep test machine. This means we can send it home with a patient for a night and it will give us accurate sleep data that I can send to a sleep doctor to get a diagnosis. That means we can find out if you have OSA without having to send you to another clinic for testing. Secondly, we can attach a set of mouth trays to a small motor that connects to the machine and this will move the patient’s jaw around while they sleep and see how their pulse, airflow, oxygen level and snoring respond to different positions. From this, we get a result as to whether an oral appliance will work for the patient or not.
With this machine, there is no wasting time making an oral appliance for someone whose OSA would not improve with this treatment option (these people are then directed to a CPAP trial). In addition, if an appliance will work for the patient, the machine will give us a target position to set the jaw at with the oral appliance.
Bam!
This takes the guesswork out of it! We can still adjust the oral appliance if needed, but it is helping us make more conservative appliances where patients’ jaws are less protruded in general. It also means fewer trips to the office because we are setting the oral appliance in a position that works from the start.
HOMETOWN DENTAL’S FIRST SLEEP APNEA PATIENT
So guess who my first patient was? Me!
I wanted to try the machine to see what it would be like so I could describe it to patients. I knew I started snoring in the last couple of years but otherwise, I thought I slept ok. Well, I was wrong. My diagnosis was mild OSA so I took the machine home with the mouth trays and slept with it for 2 nights. The results indicated I would respond to an oral appliance and told me the measurement that I needed to set the trays to. I am on my second appliance as I wanted to try different ones and I do sleep better when I wear them. My boyfriend also reports less snoring which is a bonus for him.
If you were wondering about him, I did test him and he has moderate to severe OSA but unfortunately, after he did the second sleep test, it was found that he would not respond to an oral appliance. So now he sleeps with a CPAP and feels terrible if he forgets to wear it.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT SLEEP APNEA
I am really interested in educating people about sleep apnea as I feel that it is so important to people’s overall health. Having OSA has been correlated to:
- teeth grinding
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease / Acid Reflux)
- periodontal disease
- TMD (Temporomandibular joint disorders)
- obesity
- hypertension
- impotence
- diabetes
- heart attacks
- headaches
- stroke
- dementia
- depression
- death
Sleep is so important to how our bodies function. Not getting enough good quality sleep leads to inflammation which is the beginning of a lot of health problems.
Did you also know that kids can suffer from sleep apnea? Testing and treatment for kids are different but I like to educate parents if I see risk factors so that they can explore testing and treatment with their medical doctors. Things to watch for in kids include teeth grinding, snoring, poor sleep, ADHD, bedwetting, aggressiveness, poor school performance, unusual sleeping positions, mouth breathing, high arched palate, and large tonsils. Catching OSA in children early is important as a lot of the negative symptoms can be corrected with treatment. The first line of treatment in children is removing tonsils and adenoids.
If you made it this far then I hope you learned a bit about sleep apnea. Hopefully, with education, the number of undiagnosed OSA patients will go down and with more OSA patients getting treated, there will be fewer people with related medical issues. Overall we could have a healthier society!
If you are interested in our sleep program and testing, give us a call at 403-982-3100 or send us an email today.
Did you know that 1 in 4 people suffer from Sleep Apnea? It is an under-diagnosed medical issue (80% of people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed) that can have a lot of medical consequences if left untreated. It is more than just snoring or not having a good night’s sleep…although those can be signs of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
RISK FACTORS FOR OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
You may want to talk to us about OSA if you have some of the following risk factors:
- You snore loudly
- You are often tired
- Someone has observed you stop breathing or gasp/choke while you sleep
- You have high blood pressure or take medication for it
- Your BMI is over 35
- You are over 50 years old
- Your neck size is over 17 inches if male or over 16 inches if female
- You are male
We ask these screening questions to all of our patients to help identify those that are at risk to have OSA. The more items you say yes to, the higher the risk.
TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
You probably have heard of a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine and you may have a picture in your head that is less than flattering. Well, the fact is, they still continue to be used because they work!
But did you know that there is an alternative for some people?
That alternative is an oral appliance that can be made by trained dentists like yours truly. I originally did not want to make these appliances because it was a bit of a guessing game. The dentist would see how far the patient could push their jaw forward and usually, they would set the appliance to push the jaw out 75% of that maximum protrusion. Then they would have to see how the patient was feeling and sleeping and adjust the position based on that. It involved a lot of visits to adjust the device and could take a while to get the ideal position figured out.
However, since then, I have learned a lot about some of the most effective treatment options for OSA.
THE ZEPHYR MATRX PLUS SYSTEM AT HOMETOWN DENTAL
My sleep medicine journey started when my boyfriend came into my life. He has OSA and had a sleep test in the past but he struggled with a CPAP and so was not using anything when we met. It was eye-opening to sleep next to someone who can’t breathe properly while they sleep. It was also kind of scary listening to him try to get air in when he was obstructed.
Intrigued, I attended a sleep lecture at the Pacific Dental Conference a couple of years ago where I first met my sleep mentor and he talked about the Zephyr Matrx Plus machine. After learning how cool this machine was, I got really excited about sleep medicine and decided to jump in. I bought the machine and took a mini-residency in Edmonton that was very educational!
Let me tell you a little about why I think the Matrx Plus is so cool (yes, I may be a bit of a nerd). For starters, this machine is a level 3 sleep test machine. This means we can send it home with a patient for a night and it will give us accurate sleep data that I can send to a sleep doctor to get a diagnosis. That means we can find out if you have OSA without having to send you to another clinic for testing. Secondly, we can attach a set of mouth trays to a small motor that connects to the machine and this will move the patient’s jaw around while they sleep and see how their pulse, airflow, oxygen level and snoring respond to different positions. From this, we get a result as to whether an oral appliance will work for the patient or not.
With this machine, there is no wasting time making an oral appliance for someone whose OSA would not improve with this treatment option (these people are then directed to a CPAP trial). In addition, if an appliance will work for the patient, the machine will give us a target position to set the jaw at with the oral appliance.
Bam!
This takes the guesswork out of it! We can still adjust the oral appliance if needed, but it is helping us make more conservative appliances where patients’ jaws are less protruded in general. It also means fewer trips to the office because we are setting the oral appliance in a position that works from the start.
HOMETOWN DENTAL’S FIRST SLEEP APNEA PATIENT
So guess who my first patient was? Me!
I wanted to try the machine to see what it would be like so I could describe it to patients. I knew I started snoring in the last couple of years but otherwise, I thought I slept ok. Well, I was wrong. My diagnosis was mild OSA so I took the machine home with the mouth trays and slept with it for 2 nights. The results indicated I would respond to an oral appliance and told me the measurement that I needed to set the trays to. I am on my second appliance as I wanted to try different ones and I do sleep better when I wear them. My boyfriend also reports less snoring which is a bonus for him.
If you were wondering about him, I did test him and he has moderate to severe OSA but unfortunately, after he did the second sleep test, it was found that he would not respond to an oral appliance. So now he sleeps with a CPAP and feels terrible if he forgets to wear it.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT SLEEP APNEA
I am really interested in educating people about sleep apnea as I feel that it is so important to people’s overall health. Having OSA has been correlated to:
- teeth grinding
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease / Acid Reflux)
- periodontal disease
- TMD (Temporomandibular joint disorders)
- obesity
- hypertension
- impotence
- diabetes
- heart attacks
- headaches
- stroke
- dementia
- depression
- death
Sleep is so important to how our bodies function. Not getting enough good quality sleep leads to inflammation which is the beginning of a lot of health problems.
Did you also know that kids can suffer from sleep apnea? Testing and treatment for kids are different but I like to educate parents if I see risk factors so that they can explore testing and treatment with their medical doctors. Things to watch for in kids include teeth grinding, snoring, poor sleep, ADHD, bedwetting, aggressiveness, poor school performance, unusual sleeping positions, mouth breathing, high arched palate, and large tonsils. Catching OSA in children early is important as a lot of the negative symptoms can be corrected with treatment. The first line of treatment in children is removing tonsils and adenoids.
If you made it this far then I hope you learned a bit about sleep apnea. Hopefully, with education, the number of undiagnosed OSA patients will go down and with more OSA patients getting treated, there will be fewer people with related medical issues. Overall we could have a healthier society!
If you are interested in our sleep program and testing, give us a call at 403-982-3100 or send us an email today.
