Sleep Apnea Solutions from Your Dentist

According to Dr. Stephen Sulzbach of Towamencin Dentistry, sleep apnea, while life threatening and inconvenient, can be treated non-invasively through a procedure in his office.

Sulzbach works with two area sleep centers and offers an innovative dental appliance that can be as effective as a continuous positive airway pressure machine, or CPAP.

Sulzbach is the primary referral choice for two area sleep centers: University Services-North Penn Sleep Center at 108 Cowpath Road, Hatfield Township, and Sleep Center at .

Patients are referred to one of the centers by Sulzbach for sleep studies, and the centers refer their patients to Sulzbach when properly-fitted oral appliances are required.

Sleep apnea causes people to stop breathing, often hundreds of times during the night and for durations of one minute or longer.

According to Sulzbach, this interruption of oxygen intake can cause anything from misdiagnosed behavioral and emotional problems in children to heart attacks and strokes in adults. 

If treatment for sleep apnea involves an oral appliance, Sulzbach recommends choosing a dentists that follows the guidelines and meets requirements set by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

"Without proper training, dentists may not have the ability to fit, follow up and manage usage. Ill-fitting oral appliances for sleep apnea could, potentially, lead to death," said Sulzbach.

The following are signs of sleep apnea. Any experience of such symptoms means you should contact your doctor, sleep center or a specially-trained dentist like Sulzbach: 

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
  
  
• Uncontrolled high blood pressure
  
  
• Diabetes
  
  
• Dry mouth
  
  
• Sore throat
  
  
• Insomnia
  
  
• Inability to sleep through the night
  
  
• Restlessness during the night
  
  
• Short-term memory problems
  
  
• Anxiety
  
  
• Depression
  
  
• Concentration difficulties
  
  
• Intellectual deterioration
  
  
• Snoring

According to a press release, Sulzbach has received more than 1,000 hours of advanced training in Sleep Apnea and TMJ Disorder, conditions that often go hand-in-hand.

For more information about Sleep Apnea, call Towamencin Dentistry at (215) 362-8166 or visit www.TowamencinDentistry.com.

Towamencin Dentistry has serving the community and clients since 1983. Sulzbach, who took over the business from the late Dr. Tom Hollenbeck, maintains at least 150 credits of continuing education each year – 10 times the amount required, according to a press release.