Dental Sleep

SLEEP WELL – LIVE WELL

More than 50 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. Despite this growing statistic, unfortunately over 90% remain undiagnosed. Although there are over 80 classifications of sleep disorders, they are broken down in four major areas: sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome. Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder affecting over 18 million Americans.

The consequences of untreated sleep apnea can range from mild to severe, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, brain damage, diabetes, depression, obesity, fatigue, tired driving, and impotency. Sleep apnea and related sleep disorders should not be taken lightly and can lead to serious health related issues. Are you tired of being tired and never feeling great? With the escalating sleep crisis in America, now is the time to get help.

TERESA KANG, DDS, PLLC

ABOUT OUR OFFICE

  • MEET TERESA KANG, DDS, PLLC – I attended the University of Washington for my undergraduate degree and Doctor of Dental Surgery. I am a part of the Washington Academy of General Dentist Continuing Education Committee for the last five years; we help provide general dentists in the area quality continued education. I am trained in many areas of dentistry and am confident that I will be able to help you achieve the smile you desire. I also pride myself on keeping up with the changing dental field and do my best for my patient. I am committed to continuing education and routinely attend continuing education so I can provide the families I treat with up to date, quality dental care and help my patients achieve a healthier and beautiful smile. My team and I look forward to meeting you!
  • SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING – Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep breathing disorder in which a person stops breathing during sleep. The tissues in the throat collapse, cutting off the airway despite efforts to breathe. Apnea is defined as “a cessation of airflow for 10 seconds or more.” This can occur dozens and sometimes even hundreds of times an hour, depending on the severity.
  • ORAL APPLIANCE THERAPY – Oral Appliances are placed in the mouth and are worn much like an orthodontic appliance or sports mouth protector. Worn during sleep to prevent the collapse of the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat, oral appliances promote adequate air intake and help to provide normal sleep in people who snore and have sleep apnea.

OUR SERVICES

In our quest to best serve our patients’ needs and overall health and wellness, we help our patients manage their sleep breathing disorder. To see if you suffer from the sleep breathing disorder, please complete our 5 minute sleep survey. You are minutes away from a better quality of life and relief!

Who Is At Risk For Sleep Apnea?

Even though sleep apnea can affect anyone regardless of age, weight, and gender, there are a few factors that indicate a higher likelihood of having sleep apnea. If you experience any of the following, your chances of having sleep apnea are greater: mouth breathing, overweight, increased neck size, family history, use of alcohol or sedatives, smoking, being a male, Age, narrowed airway, snoring, excessive daytime fatigue, enlarged tonsils or jaw structure.
TAKE a quick, online sleep survey now to see if you could be at risk for sleep apnea. Click here.

Sleep Apnea Statistics

  • Doctors estimate that 9.1% of men and 4% of women have sleep apnea.
  • 18-25 million Americans (1 in every 15) are living with sleep apnea.
  • It is estimated that fewer than 10% have been diagnosed, or have taken a sleep study.
  • A person afflicted with untreated obstructive sleep apnea is up to 4 times more likely to have a stroke, as well as 3 times more likely to have heart disease.
  • Approximately 50% of all patients who have hypertension, or high blood pressure, are also afflicted with obstructive sleep apnea.
  • People suffering from OSA are as much as 6 times more likely to be involved in a car crash than those without sleep disorders. This is due to the fact that they are drowsy from lack of sleep.

TAKE a quick, online sleep survey now to see if you could be at risk for sleep apnea. Click here.

Measuring Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is measured by the number of times you stopped or reduced breathing per hour. Together, these events are counted and known as the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI).

A sleep study will measure your AHI as well as the drop in your blood-oxygen levels to help determine if you suffer from sleep apnea and the severity of the disease. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, your sleep study results will indicate mild, moderate or severe sleep apnea.


Oral Appliance Therapy

Oral Appliances are placed in the mouth and are worn much like an orthodontic appliance or sports mouth protector. Worn during sleep to prevent the collapse of the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat, oral appliances promote adequate air intake and help to provide normal sleep in people who snore and have sleep apnea.

Oral appliances can be used as the first-line therapy for patients who have been diagnosed with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea. They are also used for severe obstructive sleep apnea patients that cannot tolerate their prescribed CPAP. Oral appliances can also be used in conjunction with other therapies such as continuous positive air pressure (CPAP). Determination of proper therapy is made by joint consultation of a sleep physician and a qualified sleep medicine dentist.

CPAP

CPAP (continuous positive air pressure applied through a nasal mask) is the most common and standard form of treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The CPAP machine consists of a face or nasal mask that is connected to a pump, providing a positive flow of air into the nasal passages in order to keep the airway open. This pressure ensures that the airway doesn’t collapse during sleep. CPAP is recommended as the first line of treatment for patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with mild-to-moderate sleep apnea can usually choose which therapy they would prefer.

Surgery

While not considered as the first line of treatment for snoring or sleep apnea, surgery may be an effective option for patients who cannot tolerate C-PAP or oral appliance therapy. With many surgical options available, it is up to the surgeon to find where the obstruction is in the patient’s upper airway or nasal passage and determine what the best solution is. Surgery is typically more effective in the treatment of snoring than for sleep apnea.

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Hours of Operation

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Primary Location

Monday:

7:00 am-4:00 pm

Tuesday:

1st of the month 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-2:00 pm

Friday:

Closed

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed