Dental Partners of Vero Beach provides adult sleep disordered breathing treatment in Vero Beach, FL. Call 772-569-4118 to learn more and schedule an appointment.
Dental Partners of Vero Beach offers solutions for sleep-disordered breathing conditions like snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea in Vero Beach, Florida. To learn more and schedule an appointment, please call 772-569-4118 or contact us today.
Over 25 million adults in America suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and even more suffer from the milder form of upper airway resistance syndrome. Our dentists and team are proud to have the training at Dental Partners of Vero Beach. They are committed to educating, raising awareness, and providing screenings and treatments for sleep-disordered breathing and airway health for patients of all ages.
What Is Sleep Disordered Breathing?
Sleep-disordered breathing covers a wide range of airway issues, from snoring to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which can significantly impact breathing during sleep. When you lie down, especially on your back, your tongue and other soft tissues in your mouth can slide back toward your throat, obstructing your airway.
Partial airway obstruction leads to snoring, while complete obstruction results in pauses in breathing. When your brain senses the lack of oxygen due to the airway obstruction, you partially wake up to change positions and resume breathing. These breathing interruptions disrupt your natural sleep cycles, preventing you from getting quality sleep.
When to See a Sleep and Airway Specialist
Do you or anyone you know have the following symptoms? If you answered yes, we are here to help. Symptoms of sleep apnea and airway health issues may include but are not limited to:
- Snoring loud enough to disturb your sleep or the sleep of others*
- Waking during the night and gasping for air or choking
- Observed episodes of interrupted breathing or breathing stopped during sleep
- Excessive daytime drowsiness, feeling tired all day
- Trouble focusing during the day
- Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat
- Morning headaches
- Mood changes, such as depression or being easily upset
- High blood pressure
*Snoring does not always indicate something serious, and not everyone who snores has obstructive sleep apnea. If you snore loudly, especially if your snoring is interrupted by periods of silence, it's essential to talk to a healthcare professional. Snoring may be loudest, and breath pauses, known as apneas, may be more common when you sleep on your back.
How is Sleep Disordered Breathing and Airway Obstruction Determined?
In addition to a thorough hands-on dental examination, Dental Partners of Vero Beach uses various diagnostic tests, assessments, and technology to evaluate and identify sleep and airway issues.
- Sleep Risk Assessment Questionnaire. All patients complete a Sleep Risk Assessment Questionnaire with their patient paperwork so our team can understand sleep patterns and personal history.
- VATECH Green2 CBCT. We offer all our patients a complimentary in-office CBCT Scan. This scan includes a 3D image of the head, neck, jaw, sinuses, nasal passage, airway, and temporomandibular joints (TMJ). Our team of professionals combines all the data from the scan, analyzes it, takes measurements, and determines the patient’s overall oral health and how it may be related to sleep and airway health issues.
- Airway Assessment. Our state-of-the-art Eccovision Acoustic Pharyngometer/Rhinometer system uses sound waves to measure nasal and oral airway size. The assessment takes about 10 seconds, and the results are analyzed by our doctors.
- Home Sleep Apnea Test. In addition, our dentist may request a Home Sleep Apnea Test (HSAT) for further diagnostics. This overnight screening tool assesses the patient’s sleep quality for inclusion in the overall diagnostic studies.
Procedures and Treatment Options
Airway Orthodontics
Through our airway-focused dentistry techniques, we provide expansive Orthodontics combined with other treatments to improve airway function. We use a combination of removable expanders and appliance systems, such as Invisalign clear aligners. In addition, we offer a variety of treatments and therapies that may or may not be added to an orthodontic system plan. We aim to build the proper foundation and optimize your airway for optimal health.
Palatal Fixed and Removable Expanders
Invisalign™ Clear Aligners
Invisalign™ is a system of custom-made, clear aligners that shift teeth into their proper position and simultaneously expand the mouth and jaws. This treatment is used for various aesthetic, airway, and sleep disorders.
Invisalign is popular with teens and adults looking for a discreet, virtually invisible orthodontic system due to its thin, transparent plastic. The precise movements of each tooth are planned out after scanning the mouth, teeth, and smile. Aligner sets are worn for a minimum of 22 hours each day. Approximately every two weeks, new aligners are provided until a perfect smile and a healthy mouth are achieved. Not all Invisalign treatments are the same; they are customized based on the specific doctor's philosophy and training. Therefore, when seeking treatment using Invisalign, it is essential to use a dentist with an expansive airway technique that will broaden the arches and make more room for the tongue instead of constricting. When done correctly, no extractions or tooth removal should be needed. For additional information, please visit the Invisalign website.
See Our Results!
This is a before and after using the Invisalign expansive technique. This technique improves breathing and makes more room for the tongue to come forward. These aligners open the airway, making it less likely to block the back of the throat when sleeping.
Mandibular Advancement Devices
Mandibular Advancement Devices are oral devices designed to treat sleep apnea and enhance airway function. The customized device holds the lower jaw and tongue forward, working to open the airway during sleep. We offer a variety of sleep apnea oral appliances.
Learn more about the most common systems that we use: Prosomnus and Somnomed.
Myofunctional Therapy
We collaborate with trained myofunctional therapists (OMT) to address the “why” behind improper jaw growth and airway development. The OMT improves swallowing, proper tongue posture and position, and overall muscle function, reducing relapse of previous and active orthodontic treatment. Our therapists are highly trained to correct improper tongue position and breathing. For additional information, please visit https://myoair.com/.
The goals of myofunctional therapy are:
- Promote exclusive nasal breathing
- Strengthen and tone the muscles of the tongue and orofacial complex
- Promote ideal resting oral posture with the lips together, tongue at the roof of the mouth
- Identify compensations of the jaw and neck during chewing, talking, and swallowing
Fotona® NightLase® Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment
Fotona® NightLase® laser therapy is a noninvasive treatment designed to tighten tissues in the mouth and throat. This helps reduce airway obstruction, snoring, and sleep apnea. This procedure is minimally invasive, safe, and effective but requires multiple sessions.
Integrated Healthcare
Our dentists use a collaborative, multi-specialty approach to provide integrated care. We may refer patients to additional specialists to address their barriers to optimal breathing and health. The most common medical specialists we refer to are ENTs. Anatomical barriers to breathing may include blocked sinuses, enlarged nasal turbinates, or deviated nasal septums. If these barriers are not removed, optimal breathing and tongue position are impossible.
Frenectomies, Lip or Tongue Tie
How Can A Frenectomy Help Prevent Sleep Apnea and Breathing?
When the frenum, the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, is too short, thick, or tight, it restricts tongue movement and function, resulting in a condition called tongue tie. Similarly, a lip tie occurs when the lip is too short or tightly attached to the upper or lower gum tissue, restricting movement and function. These conditions can affect children and adults and may impact growth and development. Recent studies have also identified tongue ties as a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A minor procedure can be performed using our LightScalpel© CO2 Laser to release lip or tongue ties.
Adult Tongue Tie Release
Why Choose Dental Partners of Vero Beach?
If you’re experiencing symptoms of sleep disordered breathing or sleep apnea, the first place to go for diagnosis and treatment should be an airway-trained dentist who goes beyond the health of your tooth structure and specializes in the anatomy of the mouth and jaw, which is the source of most cases of sleep apnea.
Dental Partners of Vero Beach specializes in identifying risk factors for SDB and OSA and creates treatment plans in coordination with other healthcare professionals, such as Myofunctional Therapists and Ear, Nose, and Throat Physicians. At Dental Partners of Vero Beach, we help patients of all ages improve their overall health and wellness through better quality sleep.
In October 2017, the American Dental Association adopted a resolution titled “The Role of Dentistry in the Treatment of Sleep Related Breathing Disorders.” This resolution states that dentists play an important role in screening for sleep related breathing disorders such as Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep Apnea and Airway Health
There are a variety of situations that may cause sleep apnea. They include but are not limited to:
- Size and shape of your tongue
- The shape of your jaw
- Excess tissue in the throat
- Swollen tonsils or adenoids
- Sleeping on your back
- Being overweight
To learn more, call 772-569-4118 or contact us today to schedule an appointment.