South Florida Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Related Articles
By Natalia Tsar, DDS, LVIF –
Loud snoring can keep those around you from getting good rest and eventually disrupt your relationships. It’s not uncommon for a partner to go to another room, or even on another floor of the house, to be able to sleep. Many bed partners of people who snore are sleep-deprived as well.
Sure snoring isn’t sexy, but it can also be an indication of a more serious medical problem called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. OSA is characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from ten seconds to minutes. This may occur anywhere from 5 to 30 times or more an hour. In people with sleep apnea, the throat collapses during sleep cutting off the flow of oxygen. 90% of people who have sleep apnea are not aware of it. Usually it’s the bed partner who notices the signs of apnea so check with your bed partner.
Although awareness of the potentially deadly sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has increased in both the public eye and the health care profession, it is thought that only about 10 percent of those who suffer from OSA are undergoing treatment.
Dangers of Sleep Apnea
Because OSA intermittently deprives your body of oxygen, it typically results in increased heart rate and blood pressure. Untreated, OSA can increase your risk for serious health problems including:
- Heart attack, Stroke, High blood pressure,
- Hypertension and Cardiac arrhythmia
In addition, because your brain suffers from oxygen deprivation and must constantly awaken to restore breathing, you may never reach the deeper, restorative stages of sleep necessary to maintain full cognitive function. People who suffer from OSA experience daytime sleepiness, memory loss, and an inability to concentrate. This can be very dangerous.
A study by Vancouver Health Research Institute and the University of British Columbia showed that OSA sufferers have twice the risk of being in a car crash and three to five times the risk of being in a serious crash involving personal injury.
Sleep apnea research indicates that about 1 in 5 women and 1 in 3 men suffer from OSA. However, a vast majority of those with OSA don’t seek treatment or are unaware that they have the condition.
Diagnosing and Treating OSA
The primary problem with diagnosing and treating OSA is that sleep apnea falls between the cracks of medical professions. Few physicians have specialized training in assessing and treating sleep apnea. That said, a growing number of dentists are pursuing sleep apnea education at such post graduate institutions such as LVI, Las Vegas Institute or Advanced Dental Studies. These progressive dentists have developed an understanding of OSA screening, treatment and patient support.
Today, there are a number of OSA treatment options available, including surgery, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, and dental appliances designed to maintain an open airway. Although CPAP treatment is effective in 70% of patients, many patients find the device cumbersome and awkward to wear. Dental appliances are the most convenient form of sleep apnea treatment, and for the mild-to moderate sleep apnea patient it offers significant reductions in apneas and a reduction in the volume and occurrence of snoring.
One of the tools used in the early assessment stages for sleep apnea is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Although this is not intended to diagnose sleep apnea alone, it can be useful in determining if you have symptoms of a sleep disorder that requires treatment.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale
Using the following scale, assign the appropriate number for how likely you are to doze off or fall asleep as opposed to just feeling drowsy in each situation described below.
0 = Would never doze
1 = Slight chance of dozing
2 = Moderate chance of dozing
3 = High chance of dozing
___ Sitting and reading
___ Watching TV
___ Sitting passively in a public place (such as in a movie theater or during a meeting)
___ As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break
___ Lying down to rest in the afternoon
___ Sitting and having a conversation with someone
___ Sitting quietly after lunch without alcohol
___ Sitting in a car while stopped for a few minutes during traffic
Total your score and compare with the scale below.
0-10: Normal range
10-12: Borderline
12-24: Abnormal
If you decide to seek treatment through a dentist make sure the dentist:
- Will work with physicians and other healthcare providers
- Has appropriate knowledge of sleep medicine and jaw function
- Has adequate training/education in oral appliance therapy
- Has solid relationships with local sleep labs
- Has appropriate follow-up care
- Realizes that oral appliance therapy is not always the most beneficial treatment and offer alternative therapeutic modalities
Dr. Natalia Tsar is one of the few Dentists on the East Coast of Florida to offer neuromuscular dentistry, which considers the actual positioning and function of the jaw. Neuromuscular dentists seek to establish a harmonious relationship of the teeth, muscles and jaw joints, helping to relieve problems that occur with misaligned bites such headaches, migraines, neck pain, jaw pain, and chipped or fractured teeth.
Dr. Tsar graduated Cum Laude from University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine where she was in the top 10 in her class and received 12 clinical awards. While developing and growing her dental practice in Utica, NY, she continued her training in orthodontics, TMJ and cosmetic dentistry. She has been awarded a fellowship from the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies.
When not taking care of her patients, Dr. Tsar spends time being active in tennis, golf and soccer with her husband and two young boys. She enjoys a healthy life style which she approaches holistically including a healthy diet, staying active and regular yoga practice. Dr. Tsar also carries this holistic approach into her dental practice.
Tsar Dental Excellence – 561.833.2364
www.tsardentalexcellence.com
