Are You Talking to Your Patients About Sleep Apnea?

As a dentist, you can play a primary role in improving your patients overall health. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, as many as 40 million Americans could have sleep apnea – and up to 80% of those with the condition are undiagnosed. Chances are at least some of your patients are suffering from sleep apnea and may not even be aware of it.

Developing a screening program for your patients is the best way to identify those who might be suffering from sleep apnea.  A good start is to ask a few simple questions.  For example, ask your patients if they feel tired when they get up in the morning, have trouble focusing, and/or struggle to remain alert and energetic throughout the day.

Often times a spouse or partner will complain of loud snoring, and can help identify that they are experiencing sleep apnea. Of course, they will need to be diagnosed by a taking a sleep test, but when they are, you can offer a number of solutions as there are many oral appliances that are ideal for treating snoring and sleep apnea.

At SML, we manufacture custom appliances for sleep apnea that are more comfortable than CPAP and can help your patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea. We can also help you to devise a proper screening program and provide  more information on how to successfully integrate a sleep apnea treatment program into your practice.  Click Here for our white paper on the topic.

Contact us for more informaton about appliances for sleep apnea.