health & wellness

Apnea from page 31

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Oral appliances that can help control snoring

It may be beautifu
outside but it's what's on
inside that counts

regentstreetwestbloomfield.com

Call us today at (248) 683-1010.

4460 Orchard Lake Road
West Bloomfield, MI 48323

cr la

32

Ask about our dedicated Memory Care Uni

November 27 • 2014

iN

tends to reduce snoring:' Luria said.
A West Bloomfield woman was
diagnosed with sleep apnea in
2010. Her treatment was the CPAP
machine.
"I was faithful to that treatment
for two years, but it was cumbersome
to sleep with:' she said. "However, I
no longer woke up exhausted. I even
traveled with the device, but after
two years I was ready for something
else. I happened to read a brochure
about oral appliance treatment for
sleep apnea and made inquiries.
Dr. Douglas Shiffman was recom-
mended.
"I have mild to moderate sleep
apnea and I'm not obese so I knew I
was qualified for an oral appliance,"
she said. "I've been wearing the same
appliance for two years and am very
pleased. It's not quite as good as the
CPAP, but it is very effective and eas-
ier to live with. The doctor keeps fine
tuning its fit, and I have no problems
using it while sleeping:'
Shiffman, D.D.S., of West
Bloomfield, said, "I've made sleep
issues part of my overall dental
practice because sleep deprivation
can lead to many serious health
problems. CPAP stops sleep apnea
in most people who use it while an
oral appliance usually improves sleep
apnea but may not completely stop it,
which is why those with severe apnea
should use the CPAP machine.
"What is important is that because
each person has a different mouth
and jaw shape, everyone needs an
appliance specifically fitted for them,"
Shiffman said. "I work with labs that
make the appliance after I make an
impression mold of a patient's teeth.
Each device has a screw adjustment
for further fine-tuning, which is usu-
ally supervised by the dentist:'

Dr. Bradley Rowens, M.D., a pulm-
onologist and medical director for the
Michigan Institute for Sleep Medicine
in Novi, regards dentists as an impor-
tant part of the screening and diagno-
sis processes of sleep apnea.
"Dentists have a long-standing
relationship with their patients
and are experts in the oral cavity,"
Rowens said. "They are often able to
identify when there's an obstruction
in the airway and are often the first
to learn that a patient is having a
chronic snoring issue. The American
Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
(AADSM), the professional organiza-
tion for licensed dentists who treat
sleep-related breathing disorders,
has helped to legitimize the dentist's
role in sleep medicine by certifying
licensed dentists who have completed
the course work.
"I need to have a group of dentists
I can work with who have the dedi-
cation to work with their patients
because working with oral appliances
is time intensive and not an easy
task. For instance, these appliances
often require teaching patients how
to use them correctly. They also often
require continuous adjustment, all
of which is important because they
impact the patient's quality of health
and their relationships with their
family:'
Although sleep disorders are
recognized as medical problems,
individual insurance carriers vary
in reimbursement policies. It is sug-
gested that individuals contact their
carrier before they are screened and
tested for OSA.
In this country, oral devices to
treat OSA can't be sold over the coun-
ter. The devices are prescribed by a
physician and fitted by a doctor or
dentist.

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