Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Your sleep has a direct impact on your health, well-being, and overall quality of life. When the quality of your sleep is poor because of things like snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, you can become irritable, distracted, and face an increased risk of severe health problems. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, a-fib, coronary artery disease, altered glucose metabolism, cancer, depression, anxiety, and memory issues. 

Dental sleep medicine is an area of dental practice that focuses on the use of oral appliance therapy to treat sleep-disordered breathing, including snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

You might be wondering — why is a dentist interested in my quality of sleep?

Well, dentists screen for a variety of health problems during bi-annual appointments, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) should be one of them. Since your dentist sees you twice a year, he or she may be the first to notice one of the many warning signs of OSA. The good news is that sleep apnea is easy to diagnose and treat. 

The Dentist's Role in Treating OSA

More and more dentists are incorporating OSA and snoring treatment into their practices. Dr. Harris has taken over 100 hours of continuing education in dental sleep medicine and is the only one in Kalamazoo area to have received the Qualified Dentist Designation by The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) to treat OSA with oral appliance therapy.  

If you have trouble tolerating CPAP or prefer an alternative treatment for sleep apnea, we would love the opportunity to help improve your health and quality of life.