Sleep Disorders

If you are suffering from sleep disorders in Cedar Hill, Texas, then visit our dentist and learn how we can help!

Sleep disordered breathing, which includes sleep apnea, affects one in five people in the USA, and studies are showing that 80% to 90% are undiagnosed. It can affect the young and the old. Sleep apnea is when the airway is blocked off for 10 seconds or longer. Hypopneas are when there is decreased airflow and the body doesn’t circulate oxygen like it needs. This situation is known as a desaturation. Snoring is a common cause of reduced airflow and results in problems for both the patient and their spouse. The good news is, it is easy to diagnose and treat. At-home sleep tests are easily accessible and are a fraction of the cost of an in-lab sleep test. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended at-home sleep tests be used because of easy access and a better representation of the patient’s average night sleep, because it is in their bed in their own home. After a board-certified sleep physician reads the test, a true diagnosis can be made, and treatment recommendations can be made. We can coordinate all of this with ease.

After diagnosis and treatment recommendation, the patient has the option of making an oral appliance to treat apnea and snoring. A device known as a Mandibular Advancement Device can be easily made by Dr. Brandon K. Florence to open the airway and improve symptoms. This oral appliance therapy has been approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to effectively treat mild to moderate sleep apnea, snoring and severe apnea where compliance with CPAP use is not happening. Call Brandon K. Florence, DDS today at 972-291-1501 for your free consult, and Dr. Florence can help you find your sleep solution. Dr. Florence is also a patient with sleep apnea and has personally experienced great results with the oral appliance therapy. Dr. Florence has advanced training in treatment sleep disordered breathing including sleep apnea and snoring.

Why treat sleep apnea? According to the National Institute of Health, obesity and high blood pressure increase your risk of heart attack seven times. Smoking increases your heart attack risk 11 times. Untreated sleep apnea increases your risk 23 times. That’s right, untreated sleep apnea increases the risk for heart attack twice as much as smoking.