Supplements We offer a variety of vitamins here in our office to help serve our patient’s health needs.
Snoring - Snoring is no joke—it can be a serious medical as well as social problem. Snoring can disrupt marriages and cause sleepless nights for bed partners.
Medically, snoring can be the precursor of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) that has been linked to heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke. Snoring has also been linked to Type II diabetes. Sleep apnea usually interrupts loud snoring with a period of silence in which no air passes into the lungs. Eventually, the lack of oxygen and increase of carbon dioxide will awaken the patient forcing the airway to open with a loud gasp. Common symptoms include afternoon fatigue, difficulty with concentration, headaches and falling asleep at the wheel, to name just a few.
Medically, the treatment of these conditions can be achieved with laser throat surgery or the use of a CPAP machine in moderate to severe cases. For mild to moderate cases a dental appliance is often successful.
Here is a simple formula to predict the probability of sleep apnea from Adjusted Neck Circumference (ANC):
ANC = NC*(cm) +H (4) + S (3) + C/G (3)
NC = Neck Circumference; H = Hypertension; S = Snoring; C/G = choking/gasping
Less than a total of 43 points: Low probability
43-48 total points: Intermediate probability
Greater than 48 total points: High probability
*NC: When you figure out your score, remember that your neck circumference in centimeters is determined by taking your neck size in inches and multiplying by 2.54 cm/inch.
We are currently partnered with a very progressive firm who has a home screening device to test for snoring and OSA. We have been successfully applying the use of oral appliances for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea for over five years. If you are concerned about this problem, contact our office to inquire!
|
Snoring Is More Than Just An Embarrassing Social Problem!! 
