Here’s the scenario:
You’re in the dentist’s office. You have a cavity. You’re numb. The dentist starts the procedure drilling away the decay. He or she finds the decay hits the nerve. The next statement might be, “I’m sorry, but the decay has gone too deep. You need a root canal.”
Here’s another scenario:
Your dentist takes an x-ray. It might be a routine check, or you may have a toothache. He/She finds an abscess or a trapped infection that is located in the bone. It’s plainly visible on the x-ray. He/She says, “You need a root canal.”
On the inside of every tooth root, there is a hollow tube or canal. Inside that tube are small blood vessels that nourish the tooth and nerves that allow us to feel cold sensation. The blood vessels and nerves are sensitive to bacteria, so if a bacteria-filled cavity comes close to the nerve, you may feel some pain. That bacteria may also infect the blood vessels and nerves, causing them to die. That’s where the term, “dead tooth,” comes from. The bacteria doesn’t just stay in the tooth. It can travel up though the canal and infect the bone that surrounds the tooth. A root canal procedure removes the nerve from the tooth, and cleans out the infection from within the tooth. It is very successful at controlling such infections.
So it would seem logical that if there is an infection in the tooth, or if decay has reached the nerve, that a root canal should be done. But hold on. Not so fast.
Root canal procedures are very successful, but the long-term success of the entire tooth has very much to do with the strength of the remaining tooth structure. In other words, if you have a tooth that has been badly broken down by decay or has substantial filling material in it, then that tooth is a weakened tooth. The more tooth structure that has been lost, the more decay that is in the tooth, the more filling material that is in the tooth, the weaker the tooth is. And the weaker the tooth is, the more it’s prone to fracture.
There is one other factor involved. The blood vessels in the canal provide moisture to the tooth root. A tooth without those blood vessels becomes brittle. . What happens when you lose moisture in your skin? That’s right. It cracks. And a root canal treated tooth is exactly the same. While it does save the tooth, the tooth is more likely to crack.
Therefore, the question that you as an informed consumer should ask is, “How restorable is the tooth?” Is there sound, healthy tooth structure above the gum line? What are the chances that if I save the tooth with a root canal, that the tooth will remain sound?
If the tooth is not easily restorable, a dental implant is often the most reliable alternative.
Dr. Lee Sheldon
Monday, January 24, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
It’s not the Denture
It happened in our office again just last week. And seemingly, it happens almost every week. Here’s the line—“I’ve just had a denture made, and it doesn’t fit right.” I check it, and it fits as well as it’s going to fit. What’s the problem? Often, it’s not the denture. It’s you.
Now this is not an excuse for a denture that doesn’t fit right. That sometimes happens too, and with minor corrections, that can be remedied. This is for the person who says, I’ve never had a denture fit as well as the first one.
Now why would that be? Denture materials, if anything, have improved over the years. The impression materials that we use likewise have improved. The denture impression procedure is critical, and this is a skill that most dentists master in dental school. It’s one of the fundamental procedures that we learn before we ever get into practice. So if it’s not the materials, and it’s not the dentist, what could be the problem?
The minute the teeth come out, the bone that held the teeth shrinks away. For some, it’s a gradual shrinkage. For some, it’s more dramatic. For almost all, the shrinkage continues over time, simply due to the pressure of the denture on the ridge. Every time you bite down, every time you clench your teeth, you are placing pressure on the ridge. And that pressure results in shrinkage of that ridge. We call it “ridge resorption.” Did your dentist tell you to take your dentures out at night? It was to help prevent shrinkage of the ridge, because we often clench our teeth at night.
The ridge shrinks, and of course the denture doesn’t. So what else happens over time? Do you notice that the lower third of your face is shorter? That your chin is closer to your nose? That’s because of ridge resorption. Do you notice that your lower jaw juts out when it didn’t before? Same thing—ridge resorption. How about your nose sticking out farther than it used to because your upper lip puckers in? Ridge resorption again.
Here are some methods that help limit ridge resorption.
1. Save your natural teeth, if you can predictably.
2. If you wear dentures, take them out as much as possible and certainly at night. 3. Get dental implants, preferably as closely as possible after you lose your teeth.
Resorption starts on the first day that you lose your teeth. Denture wearers are often the people least likely to see the dentist on a regular basis. But the need for dental care never stops. Your dentist can check for resorption, reline or remake your dentures, and adjust your bite to minimize the damage that may otherwise occur. Don’t let the loss of your teeth stop your dental visits. Just as you need your physician to monitor your health, you need your dentist to monitor your oral health.
Now this is not an excuse for a denture that doesn’t fit right. That sometimes happens too, and with minor corrections, that can be remedied. This is for the person who says, I’ve never had a denture fit as well as the first one.
Now why would that be? Denture materials, if anything, have improved over the years. The impression materials that we use likewise have improved. The denture impression procedure is critical, and this is a skill that most dentists master in dental school. It’s one of the fundamental procedures that we learn before we ever get into practice. So if it’s not the materials, and it’s not the dentist, what could be the problem?
The minute the teeth come out, the bone that held the teeth shrinks away. For some, it’s a gradual shrinkage. For some, it’s more dramatic. For almost all, the shrinkage continues over time, simply due to the pressure of the denture on the ridge. Every time you bite down, every time you clench your teeth, you are placing pressure on the ridge. And that pressure results in shrinkage of that ridge. We call it “ridge resorption.” Did your dentist tell you to take your dentures out at night? It was to help prevent shrinkage of the ridge, because we often clench our teeth at night.
The ridge shrinks, and of course the denture doesn’t. So what else happens over time? Do you notice that the lower third of your face is shorter? That your chin is closer to your nose? That’s because of ridge resorption. Do you notice that your lower jaw juts out when it didn’t before? Same thing—ridge resorption. How about your nose sticking out farther than it used to because your upper lip puckers in? Ridge resorption again.
Here are some methods that help limit ridge resorption.
1. Save your natural teeth, if you can predictably.
2. If you wear dentures, take them out as much as possible and certainly at night. 3. Get dental implants, preferably as closely as possible after you lose your teeth.
Resorption starts on the first day that you lose your teeth. Denture wearers are often the people least likely to see the dentist on a regular basis. But the need for dental care never stops. Your dentist can check for resorption, reline or remake your dentures, and adjust your bite to minimize the damage that may otherwise occur. Don’t let the loss of your teeth stop your dental visits. Just as you need your physician to monitor your health, you need your dentist to monitor your oral health.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Does Your Lower Denture Wobble?
One of the true enjoyments many of us have in life as we age is eating. We have more time to cook or we just look forward to going out to eat. But some of us enjoy eating more than others. Why? For many, they have a lower denture that wobbles. And no matter what they do, that lower denture just doesn’t feel right.
It’s problem for denture wearers and the question usually goes like this: Why does my upper denture feel secure but my lower denture doesn’t?
The answer is in your anatomy. You have a palate on the upper, a large area where your denture rests. And because of that, the upper denture fits like a suction cup. The lower doesn’t work that way, because your tongue is in the way. The lower denture just doesn’t stand a chance with a tongue whose muscles move when we talk, when we swallow, and when we eat.
In previous columns, I’ve talked about dental implants to replace an entire arch (upper or lower) of teeth with teeth that are fixed in place. They are great, but may not be affordable for some. However, there is a solution that may do just enough to make you comfortable and start enjoying your food again. It’s the two-implant “snap.”
A two-implant snap works this way. Two implants are placed into the front part of your lower jaw, spaced about an inch apart. Included in those implants are receptacles that hold a snap, the same kind of snap that holds a jacket together, the same kind of snap that holds an infant’s clothes together. The other part of the snap is then attached to the inside of the denture. So instead of the denture floating up and down, it now snaps into place. Two snaps are the minimum. A good candidate for the two-implant snap has some remaining lower ridge and has enough room in the existing denture to hold the snap. If you want additional snaps in the back for even more stability, they can be placed at the same time or added later on.
The surgery for the two-implant snap is minimal, sometimes not even requiring an incision. And it won’t break the bank, costing $5-7000 depending on the quality of the lower ridge and the usability of the existing denture.
Our bodies thrive when we eat the correct foods. If you are changing your food choices because your dentures just don’t do the job, think “snap.”
It’s problem for denture wearers and the question usually goes like this: Why does my upper denture feel secure but my lower denture doesn’t?
The answer is in your anatomy. You have a palate on the upper, a large area where your denture rests. And because of that, the upper denture fits like a suction cup. The lower doesn’t work that way, because your tongue is in the way. The lower denture just doesn’t stand a chance with a tongue whose muscles move when we talk, when we swallow, and when we eat.
In previous columns, I’ve talked about dental implants to replace an entire arch (upper or lower) of teeth with teeth that are fixed in place. They are great, but may not be affordable for some. However, there is a solution that may do just enough to make you comfortable and start enjoying your food again. It’s the two-implant “snap.”
A two-implant snap works this way. Two implants are placed into the front part of your lower jaw, spaced about an inch apart. Included in those implants are receptacles that hold a snap, the same kind of snap that holds a jacket together, the same kind of snap that holds an infant’s clothes together. The other part of the snap is then attached to the inside of the denture. So instead of the denture floating up and down, it now snaps into place. Two snaps are the minimum. A good candidate for the two-implant snap has some remaining lower ridge and has enough room in the existing denture to hold the snap. If you want additional snaps in the back for even more stability, they can be placed at the same time or added later on.
The surgery for the two-implant snap is minimal, sometimes not even requiring an incision. And it won’t break the bank, costing $5-7000 depending on the quality of the lower ridge and the usability of the existing denture.
Our bodies thrive when we eat the correct foods. If you are changing your food choices because your dentures just don’t do the job, think “snap.”
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thin Gums Lead to Sensitive Teeth
When you eat ice cream, do your teeth feel so sensitive that you dare not take another bite?
Gum recession can become a gradually worsening problem as we get older. It occurs because the underlying gum tissue on the bone may be thin and have a poor blood supply.
So while our gum tissue stretched over our teeth when we were younger, the tissues get thinner and thinner as we get older and gradually go away, producing exposure of the root surface.
This can present a number of problems.
First, the root exposure gives you that "long in the tooth" look. Second, the root exposure often produces tooth sensitivity.
Very simply, the top part of our tooth is covered with enamel. Enamel provides a nice thermal layer, like a blanket. But the root doesn't have enamel, so when we eat cold or sweet things, we feel it right into our roots and sometimes right into our bone.
Third, because the root surface is not covered by tough, hard enamel, it tends to wear away.
You can feel that yourself if you have recession. Put your fingernail on your root surface (if it isn't too sensitive) and you may feel your root actually is gouged. And the deeper the gouge, the more sensitive the tooth may be.
And, of course, the deeper the gouge, the weaker the tooth may be.
Yes, I have seen teeth that have been gouged so deeply that the tooth eventually broke.
What can be done about that? There is a procedure called soft-tissue grafting. Soft tissue is placed underneath your thin gum tissue to make it thicker. Thicker gum tissue has a better blood supply. And if your tissue is thicker, it is more likely to cover your exposed roots.
For years we took soft-tissue grafts from the roof of the mouth, but we don't have to do that as much anymore. There are specific tissues that come from a tissue bank, perfectly safe, that can be used to replace your missing gum tissue.
The second change is that we can extract growth factors from a small amount of your blood to speed healing.
Long in the tooth? It can be corrected, improving sensitivity and your smile.
Gum recession can become a gradually worsening problem as we get older. It occurs because the underlying gum tissue on the bone may be thin and have a poor blood supply.
So while our gum tissue stretched over our teeth when we were younger, the tissues get thinner and thinner as we get older and gradually go away, producing exposure of the root surface.
This can present a number of problems.
First, the root exposure gives you that "long in the tooth" look. Second, the root exposure often produces tooth sensitivity.
Very simply, the top part of our tooth is covered with enamel. Enamel provides a nice thermal layer, like a blanket. But the root doesn't have enamel, so when we eat cold or sweet things, we feel it right into our roots and sometimes right into our bone.
Third, because the root surface is not covered by tough, hard enamel, it tends to wear away.
You can feel that yourself if you have recession. Put your fingernail on your root surface (if it isn't too sensitive) and you may feel your root actually is gouged. And the deeper the gouge, the more sensitive the tooth may be.
And, of course, the deeper the gouge, the weaker the tooth may be.
Yes, I have seen teeth that have been gouged so deeply that the tooth eventually broke.
What can be done about that? There is a procedure called soft-tissue grafting. Soft tissue is placed underneath your thin gum tissue to make it thicker. Thicker gum tissue has a better blood supply. And if your tissue is thicker, it is more likely to cover your exposed roots.
For years we took soft-tissue grafts from the roof of the mouth, but we don't have to do that as much anymore. There are specific tissues that come from a tissue bank, perfectly safe, that can be used to replace your missing gum tissue.
The second change is that we can extract growth factors from a small amount of your blood to speed healing.
Long in the tooth? It can be corrected, improving sensitivity and your smile.
Monday, September 13, 2010
My Teeth Continue to Have Cavities!
You thought the days of cavities were over when you were a kid. But what happens as we get older? We get cavities again--one of those miracles of aging gracefully.
The problem with cavities in an adult is that they happen in the most inaccessible areas, usually on the exposed root at the gum line. Those cavities are difficult to treat. There is no dentist who enjoys treating those cavities and they tend to recur because the problem that caused the cavities remains.
What’s the problem? When we were young our saliva had a neutral pH. That means the mouth generally wasn’t acidic. Our saliva glands don’t work as well as they used to and many of the medications that are taken for the chronic diseases that we are treated for cause dry mouth. People with dry mouths get a lot of cavities.
Here’s what you can do about it: 1) Talk with your doctor and determine whether you might be able to withdraw from some of those medications.. 2) Reduce the sugar in your diet. Sugar comes in many forms. Processed food has sugar. Candies, cakes, sweets? You know them all. Sugar increases the incidence of decay. 3) Measure the acid level of your mouth. Your dentist may be able to help you with that, or you can go to the drugstore and buy nitrazine test paper. Put a small piece of this acid-detecting paper in your mouth. Once the paper is wet, it will turn a certain color and you can measure the color of the paper against a color chart and determine your pH (acid level).
Here are some new approaches: One is xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar. You can buy it in any health food store. Xylitol has been shown to remineralize decaying tooth structure. The second is a rinse which neutralizes the pH. If you don’t produce enough saliva, you can buy a rinse that does. Your dentist will recommend one to you or your pharmacist will. You are looking for a rinse with a pH of 7.0 or as close to that as possible. A simple home remedy is to use baking soda rinses. Their pH is higher, but will neutralize acids very fast. Take a tablespoon of baking soda, mix it in 8 ounces of water, and just rinse with a mouthful of it and spit out. Most only need do this 3 or 4 times a day. The third is to eat more raw vegetables. The fourth is to use the new calcium phosphate products which assist in the remineralization of enamel. You can look them up on the internet.
With diligence to detail, you can reverse the trend of tooth decay in your own mouth, saving money, discomfort, and tooth loss.
The problem with cavities in an adult is that they happen in the most inaccessible areas, usually on the exposed root at the gum line. Those cavities are difficult to treat. There is no dentist who enjoys treating those cavities and they tend to recur because the problem that caused the cavities remains.
What’s the problem? When we were young our saliva had a neutral pH. That means the mouth generally wasn’t acidic. Our saliva glands don’t work as well as they used to and many of the medications that are taken for the chronic diseases that we are treated for cause dry mouth. People with dry mouths get a lot of cavities.
Here’s what you can do about it: 1) Talk with your doctor and determine whether you might be able to withdraw from some of those medications.. 2) Reduce the sugar in your diet. Sugar comes in many forms. Processed food has sugar. Candies, cakes, sweets? You know them all. Sugar increases the incidence of decay. 3) Measure the acid level of your mouth. Your dentist may be able to help you with that, or you can go to the drugstore and buy nitrazine test paper. Put a small piece of this acid-detecting paper in your mouth. Once the paper is wet, it will turn a certain color and you can measure the color of the paper against a color chart and determine your pH (acid level).
Here are some new approaches: One is xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar. You can buy it in any health food store. Xylitol has been shown to remineralize decaying tooth structure. The second is a rinse which neutralizes the pH. If you don’t produce enough saliva, you can buy a rinse that does. Your dentist will recommend one to you or your pharmacist will. You are looking for a rinse with a pH of 7.0 or as close to that as possible. A simple home remedy is to use baking soda rinses. Their pH is higher, but will neutralize acids very fast. Take a tablespoon of baking soda, mix it in 8 ounces of water, and just rinse with a mouthful of it and spit out. Most only need do this 3 or 4 times a day. The third is to eat more raw vegetables. The fourth is to use the new calcium phosphate products which assist in the remineralization of enamel. You can look them up on the internet.
With diligence to detail, you can reverse the trend of tooth decay in your own mouth, saving money, discomfort, and tooth loss.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Bad Teeth? Think Hybrid
Bad Teeth? Think Hybrid
Dr. Lee Sheldon
You have a bad tooth. You go to the dentist. Get the filling. Then the tooth hurts. You need a root canal and a crown. That’s okay if it happens once or twice. What happens if you go through this sequence again and again? Are there other answers?
Yes, there is another answer, an answer that doesn’t decay, that has a better success rate than any form of tooth replacement, a dental implant. Along with the implant you’ll need a crown and a post to hold the crown onto the implant. Okay, you say, a dental implant will work, but I’m having this problem again and again and again. I can’t afford a dental implant for every tooth that goes bad. Well, there’s lots of good news here. You don’t have to replace every bad tooth with an implant.
Other people who have bad teeth, rather than continuing to replace them, opt out of the dental system. They wait for the ultimate to happen and then they think that they’ll have to have dentures. Why? Dentures are less expensive, they don’t wear out readily, and it’s the only answer that they know of.
What would happen if you combine the lower cost of denture materials with dental implants? You would have a tooth replacement system called a “hybrid.” You would have a dental implant-supported denture, with all the security of implants supported by bone, and a denture fastened to those implants. It wouldn’t move, wouldn’t cause denture sores. It would be smaller so that the roof of your mouth isn’t covered. You would chew almost the way you did when you had healthy natural teeth. You wouldn’t have to have your dentures removed if you had surgery. You wouldn’t have to think about what you can and cannot order on the menu. And in the event that a tooth broke, it would be a simple repair.
Implant-supported hybrid dentures are nothing new. They’ve been around for over twenty-five years. They’re generally used to replace full arches of missing teeth. Almost everyone who is missing teeth still has enough bone support for a hybrid. And with the modern dental CT-scans, we can often find good implant-supporting bone that we couldn’t see on traditional x-rays. So if you’ve been missing teeth for years, you still qualify for a hybrid. And hybrids are cost-effective, costing roughly half of what a full arch of implant-supported crowns would cost.
Some of the happiest patients we have are patients who found an answer to the continual downward spiral of dental disease. They found hybrids, and are smiling and chewing better than they have in years. If you’ve always thought that there must be an easier answer to the continual path of tooth after tooth after tooth going bad, talk to your dentist about a hybrid.
Dr. Lee Sheldon
You have a bad tooth. You go to the dentist. Get the filling. Then the tooth hurts. You need a root canal and a crown. That’s okay if it happens once or twice. What happens if you go through this sequence again and again? Are there other answers?
Yes, there is another answer, an answer that doesn’t decay, that has a better success rate than any form of tooth replacement, a dental implant. Along with the implant you’ll need a crown and a post to hold the crown onto the implant. Okay, you say, a dental implant will work, but I’m having this problem again and again and again. I can’t afford a dental implant for every tooth that goes bad. Well, there’s lots of good news here. You don’t have to replace every bad tooth with an implant.
Other people who have bad teeth, rather than continuing to replace them, opt out of the dental system. They wait for the ultimate to happen and then they think that they’ll have to have dentures. Why? Dentures are less expensive, they don’t wear out readily, and it’s the only answer that they know of.
What would happen if you combine the lower cost of denture materials with dental implants? You would have a tooth replacement system called a “hybrid.” You would have a dental implant-supported denture, with all the security of implants supported by bone, and a denture fastened to those implants. It wouldn’t move, wouldn’t cause denture sores. It would be smaller so that the roof of your mouth isn’t covered. You would chew almost the way you did when you had healthy natural teeth. You wouldn’t have to have your dentures removed if you had surgery. You wouldn’t have to think about what you can and cannot order on the menu. And in the event that a tooth broke, it would be a simple repair.
Implant-supported hybrid dentures are nothing new. They’ve been around for over twenty-five years. They’re generally used to replace full arches of missing teeth. Almost everyone who is missing teeth still has enough bone support for a hybrid. And with the modern dental CT-scans, we can often find good implant-supporting bone that we couldn’t see on traditional x-rays. So if you’ve been missing teeth for years, you still qualify for a hybrid. And hybrids are cost-effective, costing roughly half of what a full arch of implant-supported crowns would cost.
Some of the happiest patients we have are patients who found an answer to the continual downward spiral of dental disease. They found hybrids, and are smiling and chewing better than they have in years. If you’ve always thought that there must be an easier answer to the continual path of tooth after tooth after tooth going bad, talk to your dentist about a hybrid.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Can’t Wear a CPAP mask? Your dentist may help..
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition when it causes disturbances in sleep three or more nights a week. It occurs in males twice as often as in females. As we age, we lose muscle tonus in many areas of the body, including the mouth and throat. And just as you may be a little flabby in your belly, you also become flabby in the muscles controlling your airway. The usual scenario is this: You fall asleep on your back. Your tongue falls back toward your throat. Your soft palate and your pharynx also collapse a bit. You start to snore as the air that you inhale goes through the airway that is now narrowed because of the muscle collapse. What happens if those airway muscles completely collapse? You stop breathing. Of course, you won’t let your body do this for too long, so you wake up just enough to tighten the muscles in your airway and start breathing again.
This process can occur several times per hour. The more you are awakened out of a deep sleep, the more tired you’re likely to be the next day. But is doesn’t stop there. OSA increases the risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes.
The first-line treatment for OSA is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), a nasal and/or oral mask connected by hose to a machine that gently blows air into your airway to keep it from collapsing. Despite its effectiveness, many with OSA, particularly in its mild or moderate form, find the CPAP to be a nuisance and don’t use it.
An increasingly popular alternative to CPAP for those who cannot use it is an oral appliance. This device, worn on top of the teeth, opens your jaw and moves it forward, thus opening your airway.
You can try it yourself. Take a deep breath and feel the air going through the airway. Now thrust your lower jaw forward and take another deep breath. Do you feel a difference? You’ve just opened your airway. The oral appliance opens the airway in the same fashion, stopping snoring and alleviating obstructive sleep apnea for many. And for those who don’t like CPAP, it seems to be better accepted.
There are many oral appliances available for OSA. There are simple snoring appliances. There are also adjustable appliances that you or your dentist can adjust to put your jaw in the most ideal position to open your airway. The use of such an appliance may not just make you a less noisy bed partner, it may save you from daytime fatigue as well as reduce your risk of some serious diseases.
Lee N. Sheldon, DMD
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition when it causes disturbances in sleep three or more nights a week. It occurs in males twice as often as in females. As we age, we lose muscle tonus in many areas of the body, including the mouth and throat. And just as you may be a little flabby in your belly, you also become flabby in the muscles controlling your airway. The usual scenario is this: You fall asleep on your back. Your tongue falls back toward your throat. Your soft palate and your pharynx also collapse a bit. You start to snore as the air that you inhale goes through the airway that is now narrowed because of the muscle collapse. What happens if those airway muscles completely collapse? You stop breathing. Of course, you won’t let your body do this for too long, so you wake up just enough to tighten the muscles in your airway and start breathing again.
This process can occur several times per hour. The more you are awakened out of a deep sleep, the more tired you’re likely to be the next day. But is doesn’t stop there. OSA increases the risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes.
The first-line treatment for OSA is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), a nasal and/or oral mask connected by hose to a machine that gently blows air into your airway to keep it from collapsing. Despite its effectiveness, many with OSA, particularly in its mild or moderate form, find the CPAP to be a nuisance and don’t use it.
An increasingly popular alternative to CPAP for those who cannot use it is an oral appliance. This device, worn on top of the teeth, opens your jaw and moves it forward, thus opening your airway.
You can try it yourself. Take a deep breath and feel the air going through the airway. Now thrust your lower jaw forward and take another deep breath. Do you feel a difference? You’ve just opened your airway. The oral appliance opens the airway in the same fashion, stopping snoring and alleviating obstructive sleep apnea for many. And for those who don’t like CPAP, it seems to be better accepted.
There are many oral appliances available for OSA. There are simple snoring appliances. There are also adjustable appliances that you or your dentist can adjust to put your jaw in the most ideal position to open your airway. The use of such an appliance may not just make you a less noisy bed partner, it may save you from daytime fatigue as well as reduce your risk of some serious diseases.
Lee N. Sheldon, DMD
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