I want to share my personal experience with snoring and sleep apnea—both my own and my daughter’s—and explain why I’m so passionate about this issue. In 2021, during a routine medical visit, I was surprised to find that my blood pressure had skyrocketed from 120/80 to 160/110. There was no gradual shift. I hadn’t gained much weight or had any other obvious health changes, so I expressed my surprise to my doctor. She looked puzzled and after a pause said, “We should get you tested for sleep apnea.”
After undergoing testing, I learned that I had mild sleep apnea. A friend, who is a pulmonary critical care doctor, told me that no amount of high blood pressure medication would control my blood pressure until I addressed the sleep apnea. At that time, I was with Kaiser, and it took a couple of months to get the sleep test, which cost me several thousand dollars out of pocket, and another month or two to get in to get the CPAP machine, but then my blood pressure returned to normal.
This personal experience is not why I initially started offering home sleep tests. A patient shared an experience where a clinic charged him $10,000 for a sleep test that was deemed invalid due to a fire alarm during the night, and they refused to refund his money or redo the test. I thought that was ridiculous. To help others, we now offer sleep apnea tests AT COST for $299, which includes screening, an at-home sleep test, and interpretation by a board-certified sleep specialist, and going over the dental and medical treatment options. The test is simple to use: it involves a device similar to an Apple Watch and a chest lead, all managed through an app, and is disposable.
We don’t profit from these tests; our goal is to ensure more people get tested and treated for sleep apnea, whether through dental appliances or medical options like CPAP or surgery.
My passion for dental sleep medicine really started when my daughter was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea at a young age. Unfortunately, children cannot typically use dental appliances or CPAPs, leaving surgery as the primary treatment option. During this time, I learned about the importance of proper jaw development and allergy testing. The roof of the mouth is connected to the floor of the nose, so if the mouth isn’t developing correctly, nasal breathing becomes impaired, increasing the risk of obstructive sleep apnea. Many children have undiagnosed allergies that cause chronic inflammation in the tonsils and adenoids, which narrows the airway and contributes to sleep apnea.
I always recommend allergy testing and monitoring jaw development in children. Most parents would prefer to avoid unnecessary surgery if possible. Although my daughter was not screened for allergies prior to surgery, and the doctor didn’t advise seeing a dentist to evaluate the jaw growth and development, fortunately, my daughter’s surgery went well. But it did highlight the shortcomings in the pre-operative assessments for allergens and jaw development in children in the medical field. It became clear to me that I had to take responsibility for ensuring that my patients were fully informed about the causes and treatment options for sleep apnea.
There are various therapies available, including CPAP, surgery, and dental appliances. At my office, we can use orthodontic appliances to ensure proper jaw development. We also have an appliance called a ‘froggy mouth’ to correct swallowing and tongue thrusting. Additionally, if a patient has a tongue tie, I can perform a simple outpatient procedure to alleviate it, which will help reduce the risk of snoring and sleep apnea. We also fabricate the traditional mandibular advancement appliances (Panthera, Somnomed, TAP, silent night, etc) that most patients associate with dental options for snoring and sleep apnea.
I always tell patients that if they snore, they should get tested for sleep apnea. About 20% of patients who snore have sleep apnea, and certain factors like a neck circumference over 18 inches significantly increase the risk. Many people, including myself, may not experience daytime sleepiness or feel unrested, but the stress on the body from lack of oxygen can lead to severe health issues, such as high blood pressure.
It’s a common misconception that “mild” sleep apnea “isn’t serious.” Mild sleep apnea can still result in 40-120 breathing interruptions during the night, leading to disrupted sleep and increased risk for serious health problems, including heart attack, stroke, and cancer.
In children, sleep apnea cannot be differentiated from ADHD. Any parent knows, if your child is not getting enough sleep, they struggle to focus and behave well during the day. Therefore, if there’s any snoring, I recommend getting evaluated for sleep apnea prior to going on medication for ADHD.
Don’t risk serious health issues by ignoring snoring, that might actually be sleep apnea. Get tested. If you have sleep apnea, it doesn’t matter if you choose CPAP, surgery, or dental appliances—just get it treated. I can assure you that even mild sleep apnea can have serious consequences, as I learned firsthand through my own experience with high blood pressure.
And although snoring might not cause a medical issue, it can be very disruptive to relationships. If you’re sleeping partner isn’t sleeping well, and is poking you awake at night, it can cause resentment and stress the relationship. I can assure you a dental appliance for snoring is cheaper than a divorce.
I want my patients understand the importance of screening and treatment for sleep apnea. It’s not just a service I offer; it’s a commitment to improving the lives of my patients and their families.