Pittsburgh Dental Sleep Medicine serves the tri-state area of Pennsylvania at convenient locations in Wexford, Monroeville, and McMurray. Specializing in the treatment and management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic snoring, Pittsburgh Dental Sleep Medicine has a highly regarded team of dentists.

The practice has even received the highly coveted Exemplary Provider Award Certification of Accreditation for demonstrating outstanding health care delivery practices, compliance to safety, honesty, and caring, as well as meeting all quality standards.

Each of the experienced dentists at Pittsburgh Dental Sleep Medicine is board certified through the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. In addition, they offer the practice more than 65 years of combined professional experience.

After treating more than 18,000 patients over the years, the Pittsburgh Dental Sleep Medicine team understands how important it is to work closely with their patients throughout the treatment process. Theyre committed to finding the perfect oral appliance to suit every patients unique needs.

The demand for oral appliance therapy and CPAP therapy alternatives has been steadily increasing over the years, which is why the team stays up to date on the latest advances in dental sleep medicine technology.

Above all else, the dedicated team at Pittsburgh Dental Sleep Medicine puts patient comfort and satisfaction first. To enhance the patient experience, the team uses an oral scanner to take 3D scans of every patients mouth, eliminating the need for uncomfortable and messy impressions.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a treatable disorder in which a person stops breathing many times during the night due to upper airway collapse. The inability to breathe properly can disrupt sleep and is associated with serious health problems and a diminished quality of life. Snoring is a strong indication that OSA may be present.

During normal breathing, air passes through the nose and the flexible structures in the back of the throat, such as the soft palate, uvula and tongue. While you are awake, the muscles in these structures hold the airway open. Normally, when you fall asleep, these muscles relax but still hold the airway open and healthy sleep can occur without disruption. Sleep-Disordered Breathing is a term which indicates that breathing is affected due to the sleeping process itself where the throat muscles collapse excessively and prevent adequate breathing. This in turn disrupts sleep creating a condition where both sleep and breathing are dangerously affected. Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea are both considered Sleep-Disordered Breathing Events.

The three most important fundamentals of life are eating, breathing and sleeping. Those who suffer from sleep-disordered breathing (snoring and obstructive sleep apnea) are missing out on 2 of the 3!! When breathing and sleeping are disrupted night after night, adverse health consequences are more frequently seen such as high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. In addition, diabetes and depression become more prevalent and are harder to treat when obstructive sleep apnea is present.

People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea have higher motor vehicle crash rates based on crash records, as well as poor performance on driving simulators (similar to driving while intoxicated). Because traffic safety is under governmental regulation, there are legal implications for both private and commercial drivers/pilots if OSA is a significant cause of impaired driving. In addition, recent research shows that accidents and injuries in the workplace are increased when workers suffer from fatigue and sleepiness from obstructive sleep apnea.

Witnessed apneas occur in approximately 5% of children. Although obesity is an important risk factor in children as it is in adults, symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing will often occur in non-obese children. Studies suggest that a minimum prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea of 2 to 3% is likely, with prevalence as high as 10 to 20% in children who snore habitually. Daytime sleepiness is reported in 25 to 30% of children. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, children may present with hyperactivity, inattentiveness, aggressive behavior, irritability and mood swings when they are sleep-deprived. OSA in children is a serious disorder that may result in health problems as well as behavioral and academic problems.

In many instances, snoring and sleep apnea in children can be caused by dental/facial abnormalities. Often, the upper airway can be widened through orthodontic expansion of the dental arches (a routine procedure done in most orthodontic offices).

According to some researchers, the upper airway of pregnant women narrows in the last trimester of pregnancy. It has been found that if a woman has severe snoring or sleep apnea, the health of both the mother and the fetus can suffer. In pregnant women, blood pressure rises as the upper airway becomes narrower. Data indicate that pregnant snorers have an increased risk for preeclampsia.

The shape of the face and dental arches in children is critical to ensuring the development of a properly functioning upper airway throughout life. Situations that tend to cause narrow dental arches or long faces can result in a compromised upper airway in the young child. Often, mouth breathing due to allergies or large tonsils and adenoids can create these harmful anatomical features and lead to snoring and sleep apnea. Sometimes, thumb-sucking or commercial pacifiers may result in narrow dental arches with compromised breathing and sleeping. Some researchers feel that breast-feeding serves to shape the dental arches in infants in a manner which increases the likelihood that the upper airway becomes adequately formed for proper breathing and sleeping.

Unlike most offices that use a single appliance, the dentists in the Pittsburgh Dental Sleep Medicine Network use several different oral appliances, choosing the one that is best for you. The choice of oral appliance is made after a thorough medical history, oral examination and years of past experience.

Oral appliances have been in use for over 30 years to effectively treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Currently, over100 different appliance designsare available to specially trained dentists for this use. Many scientific studies have been published that demonstrate the effectiveness of these appliances when utilized by trained and experienced sleep-disorders dentists.

Of the many appliances available today, each falls under one of two categories based on mode of action. The first and largest category is that of the mandibular repositioning device. By far the majority of all appliances in use today fall into this category. These devices serve by gently repositioning the lower jaw forward during sleep. The second category is that of the tongue retaining device. These appliances are seldomly used but can be effective occasionally. The tongue retaining devices function by engaging the tongue directly and holding it in a forward during sleep.

The first step in being treated for snoring or obstructive sleep apnea is to obtain an evaluation by a physician who will provide a formal diagnosis based on a medical sleep study. After that, an evaluation by a sleep-disorders dentist will determine whether you are a good candidate for oral appliance therapy and which oral appliance will be most effective for you.

Ultimately, when the snoring and daytime sleepiness have been improved, you will be referred back to your physician for a follow-up sleep study to ensure the effectiveness of the appliance. You will be evaluated again in 6 months and then annually to ensure adequate long-term success and to monitor any possible side effects.

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea can be serious medical problems. Improperly treated obstructivesleep apneacan increase the risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, daytime sleepiness and other serious illnesses. Choosing a sleep-disorders dentist who is qualified to work with your physician is essential to your health or the health of a loved one.

The dentist you choose to treat your problem with sleep-disordered breathing must be properly educated and have adequate experience. Legally, any dentist can treat snoring and/or sleep apnea with an oral appliance, however, that does not mean that every dentist has the necessary experience and training to provide proper therapy. Because no special qualifications are required, it is your responsibility to choose your dentist wisely.

Your Pittsburgh Dental Sleep Medicine dentist will carefully follow and guide your progress throughout your treatment. You will be seen in the office several times to ensure acceptance, comfort and effectiveness of the therapy. Instructions will be given on the proper adjustment of the appliance and any areas of concern will be addressed. The objective will be to resolve your snoring and daytime sleepiness through gently and gradually repositioning your lower jaw.

Very often patients find that they are unable to close their teeth completely in the morning immediately after removing the appliance. This is normal and is due to a temporary jaw joint change and some transient microscopic tooth movement. This will generally resolve on its own in 15 to 30 minutes as the joint and teeth drift back into their normal positions. After 30 minutes (not sooner) jaw exercises are helpful to reestablish joint position and good tooth contact. This can be accomplished by several minutes of clenching on a morning aligner that will be fabricated for you at the time the appliance is delivered.

Your oral appliance is easy to care for. Each morning, simply brush it with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Rinse it well and allow it to sit in its case all day with the top open. Be sure it is up, out of the way, where no curious dogs can chew on it! Avoid extremes of temperature. Certain soaking solutions are also available to enhance cleaning.

Most of the side effects encountered during appliance use are minor and temporary and do not preclude use. They include tenderness to teeth, muscles and jaw joint. Loose or weak dental work may become dislodged. Dry mouth and increased salivation is also noticed frequently but is generally not a major issue. As mentioned above, teeth may not meet properly for 15 to 30 minutes after first removing the appliance after each nights use. Occasionally bite changes can become permanent. Your sleep disorders-dentist will work with you to manage these occurrences and minimize any problems.