In my practice, I treat patients with Snoring and Sleep Apnea using non-CPAP, non-Surgical Custom Made Oral Appliances. The appliances are comfortable and easy to tolerate for most.
Snoring not only disrupts the bed partner, it disrupts the entire family and the snorer themselves.
A recent study by the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, a leading organization for dentists qualified to treat patients for Snoring and Sleep Apnea with Custom Oral Appliance, confirmed some alarming statistics about snoring and the effects on family life:
The Spousal “Snories” survey asked questions about how bed partners viewed snoring to patient and bed partner preferences in treatment. Snoring can be embarrassing and can be the “elephant in the room” when it comes to addressing relationship frustrations and health concerns.
The results of the survey showed us 39% of both men and women over the age of 18 find snoring in a bed partner to be a turn off and this increases to 45% in those aged 55-64. Eighty-three percent of respondents said they have had a snoring bed partner. When patients report having had a snoring bed partner 43% said it caused them concern and worry about the snorer’s health, 35% said they couldn’t sleep, 26% said they were annoyed or down right angry and 21% said it sent them to sleep in another room.
This applied to both men and women debunking the old belief that snoring is only an overweight old man’s condition.
When asked about treatment options between CPAP (the mask and hose pressure machine) and an Oral Appliance over 75% of respondents had a preference and of those twice as many preferred the Oral Appliance as their treatment choice.
In the younger 18-34 year old group the vast majority preferred the Oral Appliance over CPAP. Some patients won’t even go in for home sleep testing if they think the CPAP is the only treatment option out there.
One of my roles in the community is to help patients learn about the oral appliance option, help their physician learn about this great option and for both patient and physician to understand who might be an appropriate patient. It can easily all start with a simple home sleep study or a consultation if you have already had a sleep study.
Sadly, many patients, and physicians, do not know there are qualified providers in this field as we are few and far between. Most dentists stay practicing general dentistry and as a result I am one of only four Diplomates in Dental Sleep Medicine in BC and one of only two under the age of 80 years old.
Many patients also can be covered under their Extended Health Benefit plans for coverage. If you or someone you know has or suspects a snoring problem, has a CPAP they cannot wear or wonders if their poor sleep is caused by sleep apnea you owe it to yourself to come in for a consultation.
Dr. S. Muir
www.snoredentist.ca
