If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, the only way to find lasting relief is to have your sleep breathing disorder treated by a qualified medical professional such as our Grand Rapids sleep apnea doctors at TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan.
For decades, the established “gold standard” of treatment for sleep apnea was the use of a CPAP machine. CPAP, short for continuous positive airway pressure, is a machine that forces air into your airway through a mask that is worn over your nose during sleep. Although CPAP is effective, it has been estimated that as many as 60 to 70 percent of sleep apnea patients who receive a CPAP machine eventually abandon using it. That leaves them with a chronic condition that may lead to life-threatening illnesses.
Some of the most frequently reported problems with CPAP machines include the following:
Certain sleep apnea patients may think that a CPAP machine is the only available means of treatment, and therefore refrain from seeking treatment as a result. If you have sleep apnea, this is the worst thing you can do. You must receive treatment from a qualified sleep apnea doctor in Grand Rapids in order to eliminate sleep apnea and restore your ability to get quality rest.
Moreover, living with untreated sleep apnea eventually increases your risk of several chronic and systemic ailments, including cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes, and depression. The risk of cancer also increases; several recent studies have found sleep apnea patients are 68 percent more likely to develop cancer and, for those that do, they face 4.8 times the normal cancer morbidity rate.
TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan offers sleep apnea patients oral appliance therapy. This is an especially attractive option for already-diagnosed sleep apnea patients who have found they are intolerant of using a CPAP machine. An oral appliance is worn at night, bringing the lower jaw into its ideal forward resting position. This repositions the tongue and lower jaw, preventing either from sliding back to block the airway.
Many patients prefer oral appliance therapy as a means of treating sleep apnea for the following reasons:
We offer the following different types of oral appliances: the SomnoDent MAS, the Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP), and the Adjustable PM Ultra Positioner. Usually, even when worn, patients still can freely open their mouth, and speak while wearing their oral appliance. Each of the oral appliances offered at TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan is patient-friendly and has been proven effective to treat sleep apnea, as well as other sleep breathing disorders—even snoring.
The oral appliances we prescribe are made of top-grade materials—far superior to store-bought anti-snoring mouthpieces. Our doctors will conduct a thorough examination, determining the severity of your airway issue. Next, the correct type of oral appliance will be prescribed to fit your needs.
It takes specialized training to diagnose and treat a case of sleep apnea to achieve a successful outcome. Sleep apnea dentists have this training. At TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan, our staff includes Dr. Jerry Mulder, who completed a fellowship program in Dental Sleep at the Academy of Cranial Facial Pain in Dallas; and Dr. Allyson Mulder, a member of both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. Their experience and education in the specific science of dental sleep and sleep apnea make our doctors the perfect choice to help patients in the areas of Grand Rapids, Holland, and Big Rapids obtain the quality sleep that has eluded them for far too long!
To learn more about sleep apnea or to schedule an evaluation, contact TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan today at (616) 929-0892.
You may also fill out the form below to ask your questions & to request an appointment.
