I assess breathing. Everyday. Every hygiene patient—adult and child. I call it an “airway exam.” So, when I ask parents of young children how they breathe—through their nose or mouth–most of the time they give me a funny look. I’m sure they are thinking, “What does breathing have to do with my kids teeth?”

In 1900, 60% of all deaths were from communicable sources such as pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis and enteritis. Life expectancy was about 49 years of age.  Today, we are living longer and better, an average of 77.8 years old.  Because of the industrial revolution and advances in science, medicine and technology, our lifestyle is much different compared to 115 years ago.  Now, we die from “diseases of lifestyle:” heart disease, cancer and degenerative diseases. We eat more and binge on unhealthy foods, get less physical activity but have more stress and less sleep.   So, our quest for better living and longer life bears the question….are these “diseases of lifestyle” preventable or are they caused primarily because we are living longer?

The normal “mode of breathing” is through the nose. However, many people breathe through their mouth. The primary reason is because of nasal congestion. This could be due to allergies, chronic sinusitis, inflammation or some kind of physical obstruction (polyps, deviated septum, or trauma). Another explanation could be from a “habit” often stemming from early life. I meet many patients that breathe through their nose fine, but “just don’t” or “never have.”

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) was once thought of to be a disease of older overweight men. However, what is often overlooked is the fact that many middle aged women also have sleep apnea like symptoms (snoring, daytime tiredness, morning headaches, poor sleep) but have another Sleep Breathing Disorder called Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome or UARS.

Dentists are oral health care providers who stare in mouths and at airways all day long. Why should dentists care about sleep?

It is well regarded the patients see their dentists more often than they see their physicians. Often our patients aren’t even seeing their physicians until something hurts or isn’t feeling right.

Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when your breathing is partially obstructed in some way while you’re sleeping. Sometimes snoring may indicate a serious health condition. In addition, snoring can be a nuisance to your partner.

Well of course, it was with Kent Smith’s course – the attendees got to send in their impressions ahead of time and get a device.  Whenever I go and do talks, I always tell story about changed my patients life.  I was at a convention and when they spoke they didn’t talk about oral appliances, they talked about sleep apnea.  My dad is a dentist, and he took the course with me – getting a SomnoDent really changed his life.  He had severe sleep apnea, and snored, but we didn’t know he had sleep apnea.  When he wears the appliance, he’s within normal limits.  He says he feels much better!  Now, my mom even wears one – she had insomnia issues and acid reflux.

As I sit here on a plane with my office manager, Brittany, I am once again aware of how much snoring and sleep apnea permeates our society.  We are flying back from training an office in how to screen and treat snoring and sleep apnea in their dental practice.  This time it took us to the great city of Ottawa, Canada.  We meet people on the plane that tell us of their problems with sleep. 

Hypersomnia is a sleep disorder in which someone is getting and/or needing more sleep than necessary. Symptoms include patients sleeping more than 10 hours a night, difficulty in rousing the sleeper even after a full night of sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and narcolepsy. Approximately 5 percent of Americans suffer from hypersomnia.

Hypersomnia is a sleep disorder in which someone is getting and/or needing more sleep than necessary. Symptoms include patients sleeping more than 10 hours a night, difficulty in rousing the sleeper even after a full night of sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and narcolepsy. Approximately 5 percent of Americans suffer from hypersomnia.

Recently my 8 year old daughter, Lauren, had her tonsils and adenoids out. She did so well and I was so proud of her being so brave. The surgery was not nearly as traumatic as we thought it would be and the post op was fairly benign. I struggled with whether my wife and I were making the right choice to put my little girl through this but now I am so happy we did.

Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when your breathing is partially obstructed in some way while you’re sleeping. Sometimes snoring may indicate a serious health condition. In addition, snoring can be a nuisance to your partner.

Insomnia can happen for numerous reasons; however, more and more studies are showing that modern technology may have at least some responsibility for this growing problem. Research indicates that artificial light from eReaders, television, smartphones and iPads can force our brains to pump our veins full of stress hormones that prevent us from falling asleep at night. Additionally, these fight-or-flight hormones have been shown to promote anxiety, depression and potential medical problems as we age.

Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when your breathing is partially obstructed in some way while you’re sleeping. Sometimes snoring may indicate a serious health condition. In addition, snoring can be a nuisance to your partner.

Sleep apnea can worsen blood sugar control in people with Type 2 diabetes by disrupting the deepest stage of sleep, a new study suggests. The findings provide another good reason for people with sleep apnea to wear a CPAP mask that helps assure uninterrupted breathing, the standard treatment for the condition, throughout the night.

Binge eating or consuming unusually large amounts of food, before or during pregnancy, can cause sleep problems during pregnancy. Those sleep problems can also last as long as 18 months after childbirth.

Children with learning, attention and behavior problems may be suffering from sleepiness. Penn State researchers divided 508 children into two groups. One group had parents who reported their children experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness.

Children with learning, attention and behavior problems may be suffering from sleepiness. Penn State researchers divided 508 children into two groups. One group had parents who reported their children experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness.

There are three main types of sleep apnea and each one can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Though severe cases require thorough attention, it’s important to treat mild sleep apnea too. Even people experiencing mild sleep apnea may stop breathing 5 to 15 times every hour while sleeping.

While it’s not shocking that conditions such as sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness, fatigue, a lack of energy, and restlessness, some of today’s most recent studies show that the condition has a large scale effect on the body. For instance, new studies continuously show that untreated sleep apnea causes the heart to overwork, which could lead to weakened cardiovascular system. At the same time, sleep apnea has also been linked to insomnia, sleep walking, and even aggression.