When it comes to sleep apnea, our patients have a lot of questions, and our team is always ready to answer them. Below, you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions we receive every day. If you happen to have a question that we haven’t covered here, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call. We’re always more than happy to talk to you and make sure you completely understand your care options.
Sleep apnea is the second most common sleep disorder in the country, and it is characterized by short and frequent cessations in breathing during sleep. These usually occur due to the soft tissues in the mouth and throat relaxing into and obstructing the airway or because the brain has stopped sending the body the signal to breathe.
People with untreated sleep apnea typically have to deal with chronic exhaustion, mood swings, memory problems, morning headaches and sore throats, sexual dysfunction, and hypertension. In fact, the American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that nearly 38,000 cardiovascular deaths a year are connected to sleep apnea. It can also make a person up to 3X more likely to get into a motor vehicle accident!
For decades, dentists around the country, including our own Dr. Eric Buck, have been able to successfully treat sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy. With this approach, all a patient has to do is wear a small, custom-made mouthguard to bed each night to sleep symptom-free. The appliance slightly shifts the jaw in order to keep the airway open. Dr. Buck, in particular, has taken hours of continuing education on the subject of sleep apnea treatment and is a member of the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine.
The answer to this question will be different for each individual patient. While CPAP therapy is currently the most widely used sleep apnea treatment, many patients find that oral appliance therapy is much more comfortable and easy to use. If you are in need of sleep apnea treatment, you should consult your sleep doctor and see which treatment they recommend. If they believe that you could benefit from oral appliance therapy, The Columbus Sleep Center is ready and able to help you.
Yes. Many medical insurance plans offer coverage for oral appliance therapy, and more and more dental insurance plans are starting to have benefits for it as well. Our practice is also happy to accept Medicare. Give our office a call today so we can go over your financial options and figure out the best way to use your insurance plan(s).
Yes, The Columbus Sleep Center is happy to accept payment plans from CareCredit. With them, you can qualify for an easy to understand, low-to-no interest plan that has no hidden fees, charges, or penalties. To explore their different plans, click on the link on our new patients page.
