Scott Greenhalgh DDS - Cosmetic Dentistry

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sleep Apnea care in Denver

Yesterday I had a chance to speak with one of my patients about their sleep apnea concerns. From basic irritations like the snoring it produces. Sometimes I get the request from their spouse "Can't you do anything about their snoring?!?.

There are many other detrimental affects from sleep apnea including things like: waking suddenly in the middle of the night unable to catch your breath, poor sleep cycles, poor flow of oxygen to the brain while sleeping, and others.

One of my biggest concerns about treating sleep apnea is to find the right device that will help reposition the jaw, without producing other jaw problems as a side effect. Not everyone has a TMJ healthy enough to wear all of the devices currently available.

In fact yesterday during my examination of this patient, I found that they also had a strong tendency to clench their teeth, and jaw muscles that are overworked and fatigue easily.

After gathering a good history about what the patient has noticed, getting information from his MD about what level of sleep apnea he has from a sleep study, and my examination, we were able to create a plan that is likely to give the results he is after.

Like a lot of healthcare, I believe strongly that it has to be individualized and thoughtful. So even though we emphasis cosmetic dentistry in Denver, I feel strongly that great care addresses any and ALL health concerns. They are far more related and intertwined that we give credit to.

In about two weeks we'll have his device and they'll be off to better sleeping and less clenching at night. If this patient is like the others I've treated, they will feel more rested and more alert through their daily routine.

Labels: cosmetic dentistry Denver, sleep apnea, snoring, teeth clenching, TMJ