If you are looking for a better night’s sleep, then you may want to make an appointment with your dentist in Goshen, NY. Specifically, you may want to make an appointment with Dr. Vipul Patel.
Across the United States, millions of people suffer from a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. Unfortunately, many people are not aware that they have this condition. As a result, they don’t get the treatment that they need.
Some common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Loud and persistent snoring
- Waking up often with headaches
- Waking up feeling tired or fatigued
- Difficulty focusing on tasks
- Becoming annoyed or irritated easily
- Daytime sleepiness
Don’t wait to schedule a consultation at Church Street Dental Arts with Dr. Patel, who is certified to treat sleep apnea, to find out how we could help you. Call 845-606-0032 to make your appointment.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which someone stops breathing when they fall asleep. These stoppages put stress on your body. This can increase your blood pressure, and people with sleep apnea also face an increased risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.
Those breathing stoppages also interfere with the quality of your sleep. When you stop breathing, your body wants to change that. The response is to wake you up, however briefly, so you can take some breaths. Depending on the severity of your condition, these awakenings can occur dozens of times every hour and hundreds of times each night.
Every time you wake up, you essentially restart your sleep cycle. As a result, you rarely if ever stay asleep long enough to reach the stages of deep sleep. Without deep sleep, you experience sleep deprivation, which affects your energy and alertness throughout the day.
Certified Treatment
Dr. Patel has recently been designated as a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM). This is the leading national testing organization for dentists who treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy. This honor is a recognition that Dr. Patel has a special competency in dental sleep medicine.
When many people are first diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (the most common type of sleep apnea), they get a CPAP machine. This can be very effective if it is used consistently. Yet, up to 50 percent of patients will quit using their CPAP within a year. Why? The reasons vary, but they include irritation from the mask, difficultly falling asleep with air pushing into their mouths or nose, or trouble adjusting to the sound of the machine.
As an alternative treatment, Dr. Patel can make an oral appliance, which adjusts the position of the lower jaw in a way that keeps your airway open, allowing you to keep breathing when you fall asleep. This appliance is custom-made, easy to use, quiet, portable, and easy to maintain.
“Oral appliance therapy is an effective treatment option that offers a higher rate of patient compliance than CPAP,” said Dr. Patel. “I work with my patients, and their sleep physicians, to identify the right oral appliance design, then custom fit appliances to each patient and make any needed adjustments to ensure an open airway and a more restful sleep.”
Get the Sleep You Need
Don’t spend more nights struggling to rest or keeping your loved ones awake with your snoring. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Patel to learn how you can get diagnosed and get treated for sleep apnea.
Call 845-606-0032 or to visit Church Street Dental Arts in Goshen, NY.