What are the benefits of this custom-made oral appliance?
- The oral appliance is custom made to fit your teeth and jaw
- Portable for easy and convenient travel
- No dry or itchy respiratory symptoms like those often associated with CPAP
- Unlike the CPAP, the oral appliance is silent and will not disrupt your partner’s sleep
- OAT can be less expensive and more convenient than CPAP or surgery.
Who is at Risk?
You may be at risk of sleep apnea if you have one or more of the following:
- Excess weight: Fat deposits around your upper airway may obstruct your breathing.
- A narrowed airway: You may have inherited a naturally narrow throat.
- Advanced age: Sleep apnea occurs significantly more often in older adults.
- A family history of sleep apnea: If you have family members with sleep apnea, you may be at an increased risk.
- Use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers: These substances relax muscles in your throat.
- Smoking: Smokers are three times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea.
- Nasal congestion: If you have difficulty breathing through your nose, you’re more likely to develop sleep apnea.
Referrals
Village Family Dental provides an easy and convenient way for referring doctors to submit our referral form for sleep apnea treatment.
Click the referral form link below for a blank referral form. Once completed please fax it back to us at: (910) 485-8287.
Contact Us
For more information about our Sleep Solutions, please contact:
Treacy Bodvig (910) 689-1475 or email: tbodvig@vfdental.com
Self Assessments
Take these short assessments to find out if you are at risk for sleep apnea.
Epworth Sleepiness Scale FormInstructions: Answer the following with a scale where 0 = would never doze, 1 = slight chance of dozing, 2 = moderate chance of dozing, 3 = high chance of dozing. A score of 10 or more indicates a possible sleep disorder.
- Sitting and Reading
- Watching Television
- Sitting inactive in a public place, for example, a theater or movie
- As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break
- Lying down to rest in the afternoon
- Sitting and talking to someone
- Sitting quietly after lunch when you’ve had no alcohol
- In a car while stopped in traffic
Choose the most appropriate number for each situation. (Go to question #4 if you have no bed partner). Scale: 0-Never, 1-Infrequently (1 night/week), 2-Frequently (2-3 nights/week), 3-Most of the time (4+ nights). If score is 5 or higher, patient should seek medical advice.
- My snoring affects my relationship with my partner.
- My snoring causes my partner to be irritable or tired.
- My snoring requires us to sleep in separate rooms.
- My snoring is loud.
- My snoring affects people when I am sleeping away from home.