Last month we discussed the general meaning of dental sleep medicine and how it is utilized to help in several serious (OSA obstructive sleep apnea) to more common (snoring) sleep health challenges. And we made the point that sleep health is a vital contributor to our overall daily health. Sleep disorders affect tens of millions of people, including many residents of Rohnert Park, Cotati up to Santa Rosa – cities which Dr. John Yun of RadiantDA expertly services in his dental practice.

Dental sleep medicine involves oral appliances custom made by or for the dentist for the individual that are placed in the mouth at night to treat loud snoring, gasping for air, morning headaches, feeling sleepy during the daytime, challenges in concentrating, and teeth grinding during sleep. Many of these symptoms are part of OSA sleep apnea, and can contribute to negative health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, chronic fatigue, and cognitive impairment.

You can see there is a powerful bridge between your dentist who is an expert in dental sleep appliances and your overall daily health.

Oral appliances or oral appliance therapy is a viable alternative to CPAP machines used in treating OSA or other pronounced snoring conditions. The oral appliance is custom measured, produced and fitted by an expert sleep medicine dentist. The intention of the device is to: move and hold the lower jaw slightly forward so the airway is always open; the tongue is stopped from collapsing and interfering with airflow; the throat’s soft tissues are stabilized so that snoring is reduced.

Oral appliances are effective, affordable, and, of course, are small and easily available for sleep even during travel. Since they are custom-shaped for the individual they’re specific to the individual’s condition, and thus are as effective as possible and are much more convenient than CPAP machines. There is no surgery involved so they are non-invasive.

The process of acquiring a dental sleep medicine oral appliances is a straightforward path of: sleep evaluation in that your doctor or dentist will evaluate your symptoms and a sleep study may be recommended; the appliance is custom personalized and fitted for you with teeth impressions or molds; adjustments are made in follow-up visits as needed; regular checkups ensure that the oral appliance is as effective as possible.