Sleep Apnea & Snoring

Is snoring or sleep apnea ruining your life or the life of someone you know? Well, Dr. Charles Martin of Richmond Smile Center can do something about it!

Dr. Martin understands that while many people joke about snoring, it really isn’t a laughing matter. While the person snoring is usually unaware and undisturbed, the sleeping partner is very much aware because it can wreck his or her sleep!

Dr. Martin has been practicing dentistry for over 30 years, all the while expanding his knowledge and skills to treat all types of dental conditions, including Sleep Apnea.

It is his dedication to providing one-of-a-kind, personalized dental experiences for his patients that have earned him a 100% satisfaction rating and the praise of his patients and other doctors alike.

 

Call us at (804) 417-7203 to make an appointment or click here to request an appointment online.

 

What is Sleep Apnea?

60% of Dr. Martin’s patients who come to him for snoring – usually sent in by their spouse – have a serious condition known as sleep apnea. Apnea means cessation of breathing. With many snorers, cessation of breathing can occur hundreds of times a night. Each of these stopped breathing events can last thirty seconds or more. A typical apnea sufferer will stop breathing 30 times per hour for 30 seconds each time – or 15 minutes an hour of not breathing. Can you imagine the consequences of failing to get vital oxygen to your body’s cells? They slowly starve for oxygen, and you become more likely to get sick and develop chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

Persistent loud snoring also disturbs the sleep of the snorer and anyone within hearing range. This disruption to sleep can contribute to fatigue and leave the sufferer feeling tired, drowsy, and inappropriately sleepy. The prolonged effects of lack of sleep can lead to slowed responses, memory problems, difficulty in paying attention and concentrating, and may also cause performance problems at work. More importantly, lack of sleep can increase the risk of automobile accidents and can adversely affect relationships.

When snoring is so loud that it disturbs the sleep of snorers and their family, it may be a sign of a related condition known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Although OSA sufferers may experience hundreds of episodes of apnea per night, they are unlikely to remember any of them. If, as is often the case due to loud snoring and gasping, the sufferer sleeps separately or lives alone they may not be aware of their condition, even after many years.

People with untreated OSA are far more likely to suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or stroke.

It is not just snoring and sleep apnea that are issues. Many people have sleep disordered breathing without snoring.  They simply don’t breathe well during sleep. This is why you should pay very close attention to how well you and your partner sleep.

 

Treatment Options

When a patient comes to the Richmond Smile Center for snoring or sleep apnea, Dr. Martin uses the latest diagnostic and treatment procedures, including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (developed at Stanford University), a Pharyngometer dynamic test, a minimally invasive way to determine the dimensions of the oral airway, and ICAT 3-D dental imagery for obtaining visuals of the soft tissue and openings in the breathing passages. Dr. Martin will also send patients for a sleep study.

Although the CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) device is an easy and effective treatment for sleep apnea, most patients don’t like them, and between 50 and 75% won’t wear them for very long. So Dr. Martin offers an alternate appliance.

The SomnoMed dental device is an intra-oral device that resembles a custom fitted mouth guard. It keeps your airway open and protected, eliminating snoring and sleep apnea incidents.  It is worn only during sleep, and does not limit the patient’s ability to open or close their mouth, yawn or speak. Most importantly, it is comfortable and unobtrusive to wear.

 

Call us at (804) 417-7203 to make an appointment or click here to request an appointment online.