What Is Sleep Apnea?
- Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type. It is caused by the airway being blocked, usually by soft tissue in the rear of the throat, causing the throat to collapse and close during sleep.
- Central sleep apnea is when the muscles that control breathing fail to receive the proper signals from the brain.
- Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea.
How is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed ?
What Treatment Options Are There ?
Treatments vary depending on the severity of a person’s sleep apnea. For milder cases, mere lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking or losing weight may be beneficial in improving the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea. For mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnea, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines recommend oral appliance therapy as being equal to CPAP. Dr. Seltzer and Dr. Rein have over 23 years 0f experience treating patients with oral appliances
Hybrid Therapy
The benefit of this treatment is that it will overcome the biggest obstacles associated with using CPAP alone as a treatment.
The majority of complaints we encounter from CPAP users are:
- The masks are ill fitting leading to air leakage
- The headgear is cumbersome and limits sleep position, staps cause irritation and loosen
- Too much air pressure is required to overcome the severity of the OSA
By fusing CPAP with an oral appliance into ONE appliance we can:
- Create masks that are smaller, customized, and fit more securely. This provides a mask that is more comfortable, more stable (a patient can sleep on their back, side, and even stomach) and has virtually no air leakage.
- Eliminate head gear and straps as the mask is now supported by the oral appliance ONLY
- Eliminate head gear and straps as the mask is now supported by the oral appliance ONLY
If left untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, as well as weight gain, memory loss, impotency and headaches. In addition, untreated sleep apnea causes severe fatigue, which may lead to poor job performance and motor vehicle crashes.
At Long Island Dental Sleep Medicine, Drs. Rein and Seltzer remain on the forefront of sleep apnea treatment and dental sleep medicine. We would be happy to schedule a consultation for you, during which we will advise you of the best treatment option for your symptoms. Please call 516.200.1771 today to set up an office consultation.