Understand Risks of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a very serious condition. And if left untreated, patients may find that they're at high risk for stroke and heart attack. Some of the inflammatory conditions that they may be experiencing are also out of control.
Essentially, what happens is when you're asleep, you stop breathing. When you stop breathing, it's going to put stress on all of your major organs. Those patients may have blood pressure, diabetes. They may also be at risk for falling asleep and endangering others, which can be quite frightening.
So, a lot of folks will go get a sleep test, sleep study done. And then they're faced with wearing a CPAP. For some patients, the CPAP is what they need to wear, and they absolutely should wear it. For other patients, they may not be able to tolerate a CPAP for some reason or another.
For others, they may have very mild sleep apnea, maybe moderate. And their physician will allow them to be treated with an oral appliance. What's great about a oral appliance is it's an appliance you pop in your mouth. It's like a orthodontic appliance, almost. Brings the lower jaw forward, allows you to breath on your own without the help of a machine. You're able to roll around in the bed, you don't have to worry about getting tangled in any tubes or cords.
For some patients they may need an oral appliance in conjunction with a CPAP because their sleep apnea's so severe that the CPAP is on the highest setting. And it's almost like sticking their head out a car window at full speed and letting that air go in there. It's not a very comfortable way to sleep. So we're able to dial back that CPAP machine and work with their doctor to wear an oral appliance in conjunction with that.
So there's a host of different ways we can use oral appliance therapy for patients that have sleep apnea. All the way from the most severe patients that might need what's called combo therapy, all the way down to the mild patient who is unwilling or not wanting to wear a CPAP or doesn't want to wear a CPAP. Maybe it's not the right fit for them.
It can really change people's lives when they're able to wear something that they have longevity with. Some folks will try a CPAP, it ends up in the closet collecting dust. Well, you're not being treated if the CPAP is in the closet, so let's get you something you will wear and that will treat you and extend your life.