What is Dental Sleep Medicine?
Dental Sleep Medicine focuses on diagnosing, treating, and preventing sleep-related breathing disorders.
Dental professionals receive additional training to specialize in this area. They consult physicians to identify the best treatment plan for patients. With the help of Dental Sleep Medicine, you can improve the quality of your sleep and overall health.
How Can Dental Sleep Medicine Help
There’s a link between dental health and several sleep disorders, e.g. snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. These conditions disrupt your sleep and can lead to serious medical consequences when untreated. Your dentist and physician work together to identify the best treatment options.
Snoring is a familiar condition which isn’t usually serious. But snoring can also indicate obstructive sleep apnea - a condition where your airways become blocked during sleep.
The Role Your Dentist Plays
Since you see your dentist more often than you see your physician, this puts them in an ideal position to help you find relief from sleep-related breathing disorders.
It’s crucial to identify obstructive sleep apnea as early as possible. Leaving it untreated can lead to serious health issues. Your dentist can do an initial assessment:
- Conduct a health history check and identify related factors
- Perform a visual examination of your tongue, tonsils, uvula, and related structures
- Give you an at-home sleep test to complete
- Educate you on possible sleep-related breathing disorders
- Refer you to a sleep specialist for a more thorough examination
- Prescribe an appropriate oral appliance to treat your condition
- Customize, fit, and adjust your oral appliance and perform follow-up tests
- Partner with your medical team, which can include an ENT specialist, physician, and oral surgeon, to provide you with the best care possible
Looking for a Qualified Dentist
Oral appliance therapy requires skills and knowledge. Only dentists with training, experience, and qualifications can provide it. Look for a dentist in your area that specializes in Dental Sleep Medicine to receive optimal care.
Dr. Wing has been helping patients manage their sleep-related breathing disorders with custom oral appliance therapy. We welcome referrals from your physicians or CPAP providers.
If you're looking for an alternative to using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), Dr. Wing can speak with you in greater detail about how oral appliance therapy can help.
Dental Sleep Medicine can improve your well-being and those closest to you.