Your safety is of the upmost importance to us. Our office follows the infection control guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Dental Association (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Our affiliation with these organizations ensures that we are up to date with the latest recommendations and guidelines. As you know, infection control has always been a top priority in our office and you will notice some additional measures that we have implemented based on current guidelines.
You will receive an email or text to fill out any necessary forms online. This will make it more convenient for you and eliminate any paperwork in the office. One of these forms will be a COVID-19 screening questionnaire.
Please wear a face mask. We will provide one for you if you don’t have one. Your temperature will be taken in the foyer. Only the patient should come in for the appointment if possible. One caregiver or family member may come in with the patient, and they must wear a face mask and will be screened.
You will be asked to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer and then use a mouth rinse prior to your dental care. Our office utilizes Surgically Clean Air purifiers to remove harmful particles, pollutants, and other airborne contaminants and bacteria from the air in every operatory during all patient appointments. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Are you a little unsure about scheduling a visit to talk with us about your potential sleep disorder? Since you’re not even sure if you have one or if you’ll discover it’s time to schedule a visit with your general practitioner, you may feel sort of hesitant to call us. Good news: We understand how you are feeling and we invite you to shrug off your shyness and come in. How to make this the easiest experience ever? We’ve got some tricks to share!
A sleep appliance benefits more than just the person who wears it. Of course the wearer can find relief from troubling issues including sleep loss, dental issues, headaches, neckaches and excessive snoring. A custom-crafted mouth guard improves dental health by protecting teeth from the stress of bruxism. Sleep appliances can help the alleviate jaw misalignment often connected with bruxism and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) issues. Those who deal with Obstructive Sleep Apnea can also find relief with the proper sleep appliance. But the benefits don’t stop with one individual. (more…)
Yep. Right above “toothbrush” and “socks” and all other essentials on your travel list for this year’s holidays should be “sleep.” Or, of course, some other version of the term that makes sense to you. You want to be certain to include all sleep-related essentials, such as sleep apnea treatment, for your vacation. Otherwise, you may have a lot of exciting gatherings and activities planned but you might not have the energy and concentration to attend them and enjoy them.
If you know even the first thing about sleep apnea disorder, it’s that there’s a very good chance you know something is wrong with your energy levels but that you are having trouble identifying sleep apnea as the problem. This is because the issue occurs during sleep and a lot of the time, patients’ memories do not include any part of waking and returning to sleep throughout the night. As a result, patients sometimes feel a little shy or embarrassed about scheduling a consultation. No need!
When you hear that you might need to do nothing more than wear a sleep appliance to get your sleep problem all fixed up and solved, you might smile a very large grin! Then, after that, you may realize you don’t really know anything about these types of appliances. Is this a good thing? How do they work? These are very common questions that we receive from most patients as they begin treating their sleep disorders. So, let’s offer you the introductory information you deserve with our Q’s and A’s. Then, come on in.
You might have a lot of ideas firmly cemented in your brain when it comes to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, that doesn’t mean that everything you’re thinking you know about it is necessarily accurate. To make sure you’re not inadvertently missing out on treatment that you really need to regain your sleep and to protect your health, we encourage you to consider a few things you’re getting wrong. (Don’t worry, there’s still time to fix your nightly rest).
What is a sleep appliance? This is likely your first question when you start investigating what you might be able to do about your snoring or sleep apnea. If it sounds like some sort of strange contraption that you might have to sleep inside of or that may be quite complex, think again! It’s very simple, small, and tote-able. It’s extremely effective, it won’t disrupt your daily life, and it might be just what you’re hoping to discover. For specifics, begin with our quiz.
We know that when you realize you may be someone who has sleep apnea, the idea may not sit well with you initially. You may begin stressing, reading about it online, asking yourself how you didn’t notice it sooner, wondering about sleep apnea treatment, and the list will continue. While we understand you would love to know you don’t have a sleep disorder, it is certainly not worth stressing over! Stress will only make matters worse. We encourage you to consider three reasons to stop worrying and instead, focus on the solution.
We know that there are many reasons you may think you don’t necessarily need to come in for a visit just yet. Even if you think that sleep apnea or some other problem with your sleep may be affecting you, there are some obstacles that cause you to choose not to pick up the phone to set up a time for a checkup. As you may have noticed, we strongly urge you to consider the opposite: Come see us! Even if you aren’t sure what’s happening. It’s much better to follow the old “better safe than sorry” adage when it comes to protecting your ability to achieve healthy sleep.
When you’re dealing with any type of sleep interruption, it can be very easy to get your sense of what’s “normal” or “healthy” a bit confused. If you find that you are relieved to wake up with only a mild headache or to feel only slightly exhausted, then something may be amiss. Let’s reset your understanding of what sleep should look like on a nightly basis, help you determine whether you’re achieving this very important part of your daily cycle, and guide you toward improvement if it appears a sleep disorder is getting in the way.
