Treating Sleep Apnea And Snoring
Sleep apnea may be treated with lifestyle changes such as losing weight, cutting down on alcohol consumption and quitting smoking. While we all know how beneficial this can be to all aspects of our health, we realize that it’s easier said than done.
CPAP
The most commonly prescribed treatment for Sleep Apnea by physicians is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device, commonly known by its acronym, CPAP. This involves wearing a face mask over your nose and or mouth while you sleep. This mask is attached by a flexible hose to a bedside machine which forces pressurized air into your lungs all night. While this is the most effective treatment of severe sleep apnea, it is also the least complied with method of treatment. Most patients refuse to wear it from day 1, while others only wear it sporadically, and continue to suffer with their life-threatening sleep apnea. I only recommend this treatment to my most severe cases of sleep apnea. For those patients that can tolerate it, they experience the most restful night’s sleep they ever had and feel totally energized the next day, something they haven’t experienced in years! Our treatment plan recommends that patients combine the CPAP and an MRD to open up their airway. Studies at Harvard and the Mao Clinic have proven that combining the two therapies will yield the best results for living with Sleep Apnea when a patient tests out as severe Sleep Apnea.
ORAL APPLIANCE
My favored treatment for sleep apnea is a Mandibular Advancement Device, also known as a custom made, fully adjustable Oral Appliance. While they come in many different shapes and sizes, they all are discreetly hidden within your mouth at bedtime, and they function by bringing your lower jaw slightly forward, thereby opening your airway and stopping your snoring, and eliminating your sleep apnea. While your sleep apnea must be diagnosed by a medical doctor, these Oral Appliances can only be made by a licensed dentist that has been thoroughly trained in Sleep Medicine. Dr. Bittner Toohey has been practicing sleep medicine for well over 15 years. She is nationally recognized as a speaker, mentor, and innovator in the world of Sleep Medicine. Most mild and moderate Sleep Apnea patients are treated with an Oral Appliance as their 1st treatment choice. Severe patients are urged to try a Cpap, but if they cannot, or simply do not want to try it, they are also treated with an Oral Appliance. The compliancy rate of patients on Oral Appliance Therapy is so high, that even though the efficacy rate of Cpap is slightly higher, the Mean Disease Alleviation (MDA) of Oral Appliance Therapy is much better.
SURGERY
A third treatment option is surgery with an ENT or Oral Surgeon. The goal of most surgical procedures is to remove the excess tissue from the nose and/or throat and palate in order to open the upper air passages to facilitate breathing. Some common surgeries include T&A (Tonsils and Adenoids), UPPP (Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty), Septoplasty and G=Turbinate surgery, Genioglossus and Hyoid Advancement, and finally, the most drastic MMA (Maxillomandibular Advancement). All the above, except MMA are usually temporary fixes that require repeat surgeries. MMA, while extremely debilitating at first, usually works permanently. Dr. Bittner Toohey only believes in surgery as a last resort.
A new promising surgical approach called Inspire is now surfacing. It is currently limited to patients that have tried and failed with Cpap and Oral Appliance. It involves implanting a “pacemaker-like device” in your chest which sends signals to your tongue in rhythm with your chest movements during breathing. Those signals cause your tongue to jut forward out of the way of blocking your airway, There isn’t enough long term data yet to evaluate its long term efficacy.
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Facts about Sleep Apnea:
The 9 worst accidents worldwide over the last 50 years were caused by someone that had sleep apnea
Americans spent 44 billion dollars on sleep aids in 2017 with little change in their poor sleep habits
300,000 auto accidents were caused by folks with sleep apnea in 2017
Thousands died from these accidents and billions of dollars were spent on these accidents
Companies across our nation are losing billions each year because of sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a silent killer that comes without any warning: Newborns to folks in their eighties are affected
Question for you?
How many deaths would it take before you shared some info with someone you know that snores or that is tired during the day?
400,000 deaths last year!
One million deaths before you do something for someone else?!
What if one of your kids or your spouse died from Sleep Apnea….would you act then on helping someone you know?
Dr. Bittner is launching a campaign to save 100,000 people per year that have Sleep Apnea by joining forces with over 60,000 dentists March 1st 2018
Someone needs to stand for the innocents that are losing their lives to this silent killer.
Someone…
Will you join us in getting the word out to someone you know today?
You can send us an email and we will find a dentist, a doctor and a sleep center that can help
You can send the sleep survey on this blog back to us and we will get the ball rolling
Your loved one can fill out the form and send it back in
Someone who cares will reply back to them
The black and white truth about Sleep Apnea:
Shaq the NBA star has Sleep Apnea
A very large man that fits the description of what people think a person would look like if they were suffering from sleep apnea
Amy Poehler of Saturday Night Live has Sleep Apnea
Small blonde and petite, the opposite of Shaq when it comes to size
Sleep Apnea is everywhere and is killing hundreds of thousands of people across the world
Over 1 million people died from Sleep Apnea globally in 2017
Every continent in the world is fighting Sleep Apnea and they are all losing the battle and the people that lose their loved ones are asking why they weren’t told anything
True Story: December 2017:
Three weeks ago Dr. Bitter was sitting in her TV room at night watching an NBA Game where Shaq was commentating.
The Dr. took one look at Shaq and knew something else was going on besides suffering from Sleep Apnea
She could tell that he wasn’t wearing his CPAP and that he was in trouble
Her husband helped the doctor reach out through Charles Barkley’s website
They also reached out through his model girlfriend’s website and his managers’ website with a warning to get Shaq some help
Shaq called and the doctor found someone in Atlanta that could treat Shaq
One person can make the difference in someone’s life
Shaq is no different than the Simon’s or the Gonzalez’s family
Shaq does have a voice that most us will never have.
Getting the message out is important to all of us
Think about the thousands of children dying from SIDS
Nobody told these mothers about Sleep Apnea in babies
KNIT HEALTH is now reaching out to these ladies
What about the kids in school being misdiagnosed with ADHD?
Look up the story on YouTube about “Saving Connor Deegan” and see if you don’t shed a tear for the mothers facing the same problems Connor’s mom did today
Think about the thousands of marriages that are being split apart because of the snoring
Separate lives and separate rooms
The destruction is endless
If you know someone that snores or that is tired during the day you can save a life or help add 10 to 15 years on to their lifecycle
You Can Make a Difference:
Please pass on mouthwash365.com to friends and family that need our help
A simple sleep survey and someone that cares can make the difference
Dr. Bittner and her husband.