After graduating from the University of Alabama, Dr. Irwin got his dental degree from the University of Alabama Birmingham in 1968 where he received the Scholastic Achievement Award and was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society.

Following his active duty in the service he completed a residency program in 1973 earning a specialty certificate in Orthodontics from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, recognized as one of the top orthodontic programs in the country.

In 1992 Dr. Irwin took his first course on treating patients who snore and have sleep apnea and has been successfully treating these patients ever since. He gets as much gratification from hearing how he has increased the health and quality of life from his sleep apnea patients as he does from seeing a beautiful finished smile on one of his orthodontic patients.

Kim has been employed with Dr. Irwin since 1983. She serves as office manager and orthodontic assistant. She enjoys all aspects of the office. Most of all, getting to know the patients and their families. Kim is married and has two daughters, a son, a daughter-in-law, and a son-in-law. She is also a GiGi to the most beautiful granddaughter. Their family dog is Scamper, but he doesnt know that he is a dog. She enjoys singing and spending time with her family and serving in her church.

Cason has been employed with Dr. Irwin since 2003. She feels extremely fortunate to be a part of patients lives in creating beautiful new smiles and helping others sleep soundly. Cason is married to Denver and they have a daughter and a son. She loves spending time with her family and her church family. She also enjoys serving with the GLAM ministry.

Patients with sleep apnea may experience an obstructed airway from 5 to more than 100 times per hour and not be aware of it, but still suffer the effects. While it may not seem like a pressing danger because the apneic eventually awakens slightly to take the necessary breath, the lack of oxygen during these obstructive events can have lasting health consequences. When the airway collapses, breathing stops, and the body experiences a significant drop in oxygen saturation from 95% to as low as 50%. This oxygen starvation can cause countless serious health problems. That is why sleep apnea has been linked with irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack, and strokes. In its more severe form, it is associated with nocturnal sudden death. Unfortunately, only 5 to 10% of the people with sleep apnea even know they have it making it one of the most unrecognized, unreported, undiagnosed, and untreated medical conditions among Americans.

Sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, and it is estimated that 18 million Americans have it. It is twice as common in males as in females, and more common in older adults (40+) than in younger adults and children. But in post-menopausal women it is just as common as in males of the same age because of naturally occurring hormonal changes. Individuals who snore loudly, are overweight, or have high blood pressure are at the highest risk. Other risk factors are drinking, smoking, use of sedatives or tranquilizers and a family history. There is a genetic component to this disorder as it often occurs in families.

The primary cause of sleep apnea in children is enlargement of the adenoids and tonsils. But often a major contributory factor is constricted upper and lower jaws that help restrict the amount of air that flows through the airway.

Children with sleep apnea do not get sound sleep, and they are receiving less oxygen to the brain at night. This can have very serious effects on a childs intellect and behavior. Recent studies have shown that chronic poor sleep results in poor school performance, difficulty with focused attention, low threshold to express negative emotion, hyperactivity, irritability, easy frustration, and difficulty controlling impulses and emotions. These symptoms have been shown to be reversible once the sleep apnea has been treated. Unfortunately, too often these symptoms have been misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and therefore, the child is receiving the wrong treatment.

The first order of treatment is normally the removal of the enlarged tonsils and adenoids by the ENT physician. To complement this surgery and for a complete resolution of the symptoms, many times expansion of the maxillary (upper) arch is necessary. This will increase the size of the nasal passages. This procedure is done by an orthodontist and it is something we have been doing in our office for 38 years, and it is most effective.

Snoring is the sound generated when air moves through a partially obstructed airway during sleep. While it can be harmless (although very annoying to listen to), it may also be a sign of a much more serious medical condition called obstructive sleep apnea.

During normal breathing, air passes through the nose and past the flexible structures in the back of the throat, namely the tongue, soft palate, and uvula. While you are awake muscles hold the airway open, but when you fall asleep, these muscles relax, but normally the airway remains open.

Snoring occurs when the structures in the throat relax enough to cause the airway to narrow and partially obstruct the flow of air. As the air tries to pass through these obstructions, the throat structures vibrate causing the sound we know as snoring. Large tonsils, a long soft palate and uvula and excess fatty deposits all contribute to airway narrowing.