Understanding Sleep and Your Role

Numerous appliances are presently available and viable for treating snoring and OSA. They are also appropriate for those patients who cannot tolerate a CPAP or are unwilling (or unable) to endure surgery.

Appliance designs vary according to desired method of retention; type of material used; method and ease of adjustment; level of vertical control provided; differences in mandibular movement; and finally, whether or not the appliance is lab- or office-fabricated. Concerns factored into design selection include:

1. TMJ health
2. Orthodontic / Orthopedic concerns
3. Periodontal structures and
4. Number and relative overall health of teeth

In order to create interest and generate confidence in a problem/ solution-focused dental sleep practice, dentists and support staff must first receive the necessary education and training in the basics of Dental Sleep Medicine – specifically case selection; diagnosis; proper appliance selection and use; titration; and follow-up.

Your Role:

Sleep assessment is no less important than what dentists currently do with every patient in evaluating them for signs of oral and facial cancer, high-blood pressure, et.al…and today’s dental practitioner has a similarly significant role to play in the successful recognition and treatment of Snoring and Sleep Apnea.

Involvement can occur on any of three basic levels: 1.) Patient Screening 2.) Referral 3.) Treatment. But what has to happen first is education. Once schooled in the big picture, you can choose to actively participate at a level that feels comfortable for you – whether it be screening or referral or treatment or all of the above.

Our goal is not to make you a sleep specialist overnight – and certainly not simply by virtue of what you learn in this blogs. That will involve course study, hands-on training, structured guidance and a practice plan. It is our goal, first and foremost, to help bring you to a greater overall understanding of every aspect of sleep study, screening and treatment which would benefit from your professional involvement.

The dentist plays a key role at three procedural levels of Sleep Medicine:

1. Screening of existing and new patients
2. Diagnosis of condition and cause
3. Presentation of individually viable treatment options

All procedures are protocol–sensitive. They deal with medical management, not dental treatment. The necessary learning curve is both user-friendly and easy to absorb.