About 20 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea. Many Americans do not even know they have it! Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing while you sleep. It can occur with children and adults. Sleep apnea is most common in men, people over the age of 50, and someone who smokes or is overweight. Symptoms include loud snoring, restless sleep, and feeling sleepy during the daytime. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused when the lower jaw relaxes and the soft tissues of the throat move in front of the airway. When your brain senses oxygen deficiency, it tells your body to wake up and take a breath. This will disrupt REM sleep, which will make it difficult for your body and brain to function at a high level. For patients that are diagnosed by a sleep study with sleep apnea, a CPAP machine may be prescribed, but doesn’t work for everyone. That is where we come into play! We will create these patients a Tap III Device, an oral appliance that holds the lower jaw slightly forward and helps prevent airway blockage. All that is needed is an impression of your upper and lower teeth. We send the impressions to a lab where the appliance is fabricated. Once fitted, we will send you back to your medical doctor where another sleep study should be performed to determine if the appliance is successful. In some cases, surgery may be needed to widen the throat passageway. We look forward working with you and your medical doctor in order to help you get a restful night’s sleep again!
