Sleep Apnea: Not Only a Problem for Patients

Woman looking angrily at her partner snoring

By Marianna Kovitch, D.M.D., DABDSM

Sleep apnea is a widespread medical issue affecting approximately 12 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Many individuals suffer from the effects of sleep apnea (commonly characterized by cessations in breathing during sleep) and aren’t even aware that they have this condition.

Only about 16% of patients diagnosed with sleep apnea receive any treatment at all. Considering that sleep apnea can increase the risk of severe conditions, including high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and even heart attacks, it’s shocking that more patients don’t seek out treatment.

Challenges With Traditional Treatment

The reason for this is simple. The primary treatment prescribed for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. These bulky and noisy machines help regulate your breathing throughout the night. Many patients find that wearing a full-size face mask attached to a bedside machine limits sleeping positions and personal comfort.

Many patients find it a hassle to wear, difficult to sleep comfortably, and bulky for travel. The other primary problem with CPAP is that if you share a room, you’re trading one person’s good night’s sleep for another. It’s extremely common for the CPAP machine to be just as disruptive to your partner’s sleep as sleep apnea can be to yours.

Alternative Treatments

Atlanta Smiles is a comprehensive dental practice that has helped hundreds of sleep apnea patients and their partners get the good night’s sleep they deserve. We do this by providing a highly effective oral appliance. The mandibular repositioning device (MRD) is designed to simply hold the lower jaw in a protruding position during sleep, creating more space at the back of the throat, allowing air to flow freely. This process eliminates snoring. MRDs are even available for people missing many or all of their teeth. These oral appliances are created with a custom fit-out of high-quality materials that are latex and metal-free.

Comfortable, Portable, Silent and Effective

Our patients love that these oral appliances are so comfortable to sleep in. They solve the problems caused by sleep apnea with no bulky machine. They are small and portable with no electricity necessary and are even more popular among family members of sleep apnea patients. They don’t just eliminate snoring; they also eliminate the noise created by a traditional CPAP machine, allowing everyone to get the sleep they deserve.

What Our Patients Are Saying

“I’ve had sleep apnea and snoring problems for over 20 years. I have tried everything, surgery, CPAP — you name it, I’ve tried it. Then Dr. Kovitch made me an appliance and changed my life. I do not snore anymore at all, and finally, I get to sleep in the same room with my girlfriend all night.” -M. Reeves, Atlanta Smiles patient.

Marianna Kovitch, D.M.D., is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (DABDSM). Dr. Kovitch received her Doctor of Dental Medicine from the Medical College of Georgia after earning her Bachelor of Science with honors in chemistry as well as recognition in research publications for her work in biochemistry from Georgia State University. Dr. Kovitch has been an active board member of the Academy of General Dentistry since 2013 and has been a contributor to the development of dentistry excellence in Georgia.