Tag Archives: Advance! Dental Study Group
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA?
Learn Dental Sleep Medicine in Louisville, KY on July 22-23.
Dr. George Jones will explain the WHY and the HOW of these Obstructive Sleep Apnea connections:
- WHY is High Blood Pressure a symptom of SA?
- WHY is Acid Reflux (GERD) a symptom of SA?
- WHY is Diabetes a symptom of SA?
Learn the risk factors and HOW they contribute to OSA:
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Excess weight. Fat deposits around your upper airway may obstruct your breathing. However, not everyone who has sleep apnea is overweight. Thin people develop OSA, too.
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Neck circumference. People with thicker necks may have narrower airways. Women- greater than 15″ diameter and men-17″ diameter are at greater risk.
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A narrowed airway. You may have inherited a naturally narrow throat. Or, your tonsils or adenoids may become enlarged, which can block your airway. An enlarged or inflamed uvula will block the airway.
Being male. Men are twice as likely to have sleep apnea. However, women increase their risk if they’re overweight, and their risk also appears to rise after menopause. -
Age. Sleep apnea occurs significantly more often in adults over 60.
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Family history. If you have family members with sleep apnea, you may be at increased risk.
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Race. In people under 35 years old, blacks are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea.
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Use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers. These substances relax the muscles in your throat.
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Smoking. Smokers are three times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than are people who’ve never smoked. Smoking may increase the amount of inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway. This risk likely drops after you quit smoking.
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Nasal congestion. If you have difficulty breathing through your nose — whether it’s from an anatomical problem or allergies — you’re more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea.
See the Two day course outline and register here: http://join.sleepgroupsolutions.com/seminars/louisville-ky/
OSA HAS NO REGARD FOR AGE, GENDER OR FAME
Legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula was hospitalized and treated because of sleep apnea and fluid retention, said his wife Mary Anne Shula.
Shula is the winningest coach in NFL history (with 347 regular-season and playoff victories) and is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He is also the owner of a successful chain of steakhouses throughout the country.
The 86-year-old was treated and released from the Aventura Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Barry Freydberg, a Dental Sleep Medicine expert, and lecturer for Sleep Group Solutions, screens and treats patients for snoring and sleep apnea says, “I am glad to hear his sleep apnea was treated, Nearly 18 million people remain undiagnosed with sleep apnea.”
Sleep apnea contributed to the premature death of star Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White in 2004.
IS THERE ANY BETTER OPPORTUNITY IN DENTISTRY TODAY?
It was only three years ago that I read that less than 1% of American licensed dentists were practicing sleep medicine. In those few years that number has risen to 4%. If we have approximately 205,000 practicing dentists in the USA, then there are only 8200 Dentists serving the needs of the multitude of people affected with sleep disorders.According to a Harvard health report there are 18.9 million undiagnosed cases of obstructive sleep apnea and a minimum of 40% – 1.3 million -of CPAP users who are non-compliant. So that alone conservatively projects 20.2 million victims of obstructive sleep apnea who may be helped by a dentist trained in oral appliance therapy (OAT).
Dental sleep medicine: the hottest button in dentistry today.
Awareness of sleep apnea in America is at an all-time peak. The fires of awareness are being stoked by the public media and by social media. Patients are understanding and becoming increasingly more concerned about the blockage of oxygen to the brain and to other organs. Strokes. Heart attacks. Diabetes. Dementia. Motor vehicle accidents. People are recognizing that they have the symptoms and are asking their Dentists about it. Some doctors have the solutions. Every Dentist would like to be “The Sleep Dentist.”Seminar training courses are now available through Sleep Group Solutions every week, in different cities, throughout the United States. They are training dentists to discover the victims of sleep apnea and to treat them with the most appropriate modalities. Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is the most convenient and preferred therapy for the mild and moderate cases and for those patients who cannot tolerate the CPAP device. Fortunately, this is where the dentist in shining armor rides in on a white horse to the rescue. Dentists, we like to say, are on the front line of the battle against sleep apnea. Dentists are in the optimum position to see the signs and symptoms and can offer the most preferred solutions to the problem.
SLEEP APNEA- 22 MILLION AMERICANS SUFFERING.
The undiagnosed may fit into these categories:
1. Patients have no idea that such a thing as Sleep Apnea exists.
2. They know about, but have no idea that they suffer from, Sleep Apnea .
3. They know they have the symptoms of Sleep Apnea but are in denial.
4. They know they have problems but refuse to do anything about it.
It is very difficult to get these people to want to be screened and diagnosed by just telling them that something is wrong. It is necessary for them to “see” it for themselves and for them to adopt a top down approach – of their own volition.The best way to do this is to educate them in the most simple, effective, non intimidating and cost effective way – we can show them films of OSA victims having sleep events. We must find a way to get them diagnosed and filmed and then show them their results. This is an massive education deficit issue.
Sources
American Sleep Apnea Association http://www.sleepapnea.org/i-am-a-health-care-professional.html
Indy Star, Lauran Neergaard, http://www.indystar.com/articles/9/186972-5719-052.html
Detroit Free Press, Bill Dow, http://www.freep.com/news/health/sleep2e_20041102.htm
LEARNING DSM TO BUILD A REWARDING PRACTICE
02/19/2016 – 02/20/2016 |
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CHARLOTTE, NC
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Charlotte Airport
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02/19/2016 – 02/20/2016 | ![]() |
LAS VEGAS, NV
The Westin Las Vegas Hotel – Casino & Spa
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ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A WAY TO STAND OUT IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
Here is how you can gain respect as a thought leader, generate New Patients, and provide a great public service.
- Have a “sign-up sheet in your office
- Send out email announcements to patients of record; ask them to assure their place by return email.
- Let each invitee know they may invite two friends or relatives.
- Place a large colorful poster in your Reception Room.
- Distribute flyers to local businesses and professional offices.
- Place a small display ad in your local newspaper.
- Present it in the largest room in your office- usually the Reception Room
- Prevent any interruptions – turn off phone ringers, etc.
- Have a “Welcome Table” with some juices and other beverages (sugarless, of course).
- Have your flyers, brochures, and business cards on the “Welcome Table”.
- Prepare a power point presentation with video.
- Subjects like Sleep Apnea are serious, but to keep the audience entertained, infuse some humor.
- Encourage interactive participation. Invite questions from the audience.
- Prepare some hand-outs for the participants to take home.
- These are just a few ideas. I am sure you will think of a lot more.
Objectives and Outcomes
You will generate New Patient leads.
You will provide a needed and valuable public service.
If you want some help with any of this you may email me: cskdoc@ aol.com
Here is how Abfractions are caused by Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
This may be used as patient education in your web site or as a hand-out.
(Take the Quiz at the end.)
“Doctor, I always thought these notches are from brushing too hard. They are painful and I have them on my teeth on both sides. What causes them?”
Here is a simplified explanation:
An abfraction occurs on the lower part of the crown of a tooth, near the gum line as shown in the picture above.
The enamel covering the crown tapers down to its thinnest there. When the occlusion (bite) is not balanced, there will be uneven pressures on the biting surfaces of teeth. Those pressures cause a torque on the tooth which produces a slight bend at the center where the crown meets the root. As the tooth keeps bending, the thin enamel at the bottom of the crown, near the gum line, chips away. The sensitive “dentin” surface inside the enamel is now exposed. Vigorous, improper teeth brushing will then wear away the unprotected dentin and the notches will grow deeper and larger.
The dentin also becomes vulnerable to acid erosion from foods such as citrus.
The uneven bite pressures also cause a loss of gum and bone attachment around the roots so the roots become progressively exposed adding to the acute sensitivity to touch and cold. Advanced effects can be fracture of the tooth at the crown-root junction, tooth mobility and serious gum disease.
Abfractions can resemble other conditions like decay or toothbrush abrasion, but the treatment is more specific. The treatment, after diagnosing the cause as a bite dysfunction, consists of balancing the bite to equally and properly distribute the pressures and then to restore the lost tooth structure. An occlusal guard may be required. About 25% of the population clench or grind their teeth at night (Nocturnal bruxism) and are completely unaware of it!. Obviously, the earlier this condition is discovered, the less damage to the teeth and bone will have occurred. In advanced cases crowns may need to be placed to protect the weakened teeth. There is a convincing connection to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. There are some cases where orthodontic treatment may be necessary.
Abfractions are non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL) caused by flexural forces; the enamel, especially at the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), undergoes this pattern of destruction by separating and breaking the enamel rods.
Abfractions are common in patients with OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. Nocturnal bruxism, which is indicative of OSA, plays a major role. The effective solution requires treatment of the causes. I created this explanation to serve as an aid to educate patients on the need to understand the CAUSES of abfractions- and to treat those causes.
QUIZ
True/False
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Abfractions are usually caused by improper teeth brushing. (F)
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Abfractions are a specific type of dental decay. (F)
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Correction of an abfraction requires more than just a cervical filling. (T)
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Nutrition plays a role in worsening abfractions. (T)
Multiple Choice
Which are correct?
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.Abfractions occur primarily on the facial surfaces of teeth.
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A porcelain veneer can have an abfraction.
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Abfractions occur only on maxillary teeth.
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An abfraction may be able to cause a separation fracture of a tooth crown.
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All the above.
The treatment options include all except one of the following:
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Orthodontics
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Nutritional adjustments
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Occlusal adjustment
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Periodontal Therapy
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Cervical restorations
☆ LEARN SLEEP WITH DR. FREYDBERG ☆
Sleep Group Solutions
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