We need to breath to live!
Dr. Sevey and I just got back from a two day seminar in Boston on Dental Sleep Medicine. I had sent an email last year on Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA), but after attending Dr. Tucker’s presentation, I was inspired to send out another. Dr. Tucker shared with us that no male in his family has lived past the age of 57 due to OSA. Even his 14 year old son suffers from OSA. It is no wonder that he is passionate about treating this potentially deadly condition. Individuals with OSA repeatedly stop breathing during sleep due to a complete or partial obstruction of the airway in the back of the throat. The stress on the body caused by this lack of oxygen results in increased risk of heart attack and stroke as well as extreme tiredness. OSA can be successfully treated using a dental appliance designed to keep the patient’s airways open.
Do you or does someone you love snore? While not everyone who snores has OSA, everyone who has OSA snores. The only way to find out whether you have OSA is to have a sleep study. If you do snore, get tested! If someone you love snores, get them tested! Don’t brush it off as just snoring! We need to breath to live!