February 2018
Spotlight of the Month
Dr. Steven Todd DMD, ABOI/ID, MaSCD
CPAP/Snoring Problems, Foley, AL
I have been practicing dentistry for 35 years. My focus was oral implantology and Dental Anesthesiology. I now limit my practice to Dental Sleep Medicine.
Favorite success story:
- I had a patient who was a very young mother with 4 young children. She was a diagnosed Sleep Apnea patient. Her children knew and heard about her significant Sleep Apnea issues. The children were all fearful for their mom! She was CPAP intolerant and they could hear her gasping at night. All family members were anxious about the situation. She had been told by “Experts” there was nothing more that could be done. No other alternatives were available. We delivered an oral appliance and the family was so grateful and appreciative! God is Good!
Tips for Treating Sleep in Your Office:
- Treat Sleep Apnea patients like “snowflakes”, no two are alike.
- Learn to treat tough cases, after people have been unsuccessful at other offices they will give you a call.
- The treatment of dental sleep medicine patients is a long haul approach. Don’t try to shortcut the quality of care.
The creation of Dr. Greenburg’s Sleep Certified program is, in my opinion, a blessing. There are several different treatment philosophies in DSM. He and all of the mentors and staff are allowing us as members to stay focused on a proven methodology. Dentists are easily distracted when a new technology, gadget or widget comes along. I feel this is an opportunity to be on a journey with the “best”, and that gives me a lot of confidence.
Thank you Sleep Certified and God Bless!
Dr. Steven E.Todd
Fresh Finds
Featured Course
Orthodontics and Airway Health
With Dr. William Hang
Dr. William Hang has committed his career to advancing a paradigm of thinking in orthodontics that rejects traditional retractive techniques in patients of all ages. In this course, he will strive to teach the concepts of Orthotropics and it’s profoundly preventative properties in the regression of adolescent jawlines by correcting oral posture.
Featured Webinar
Understanding Your Patients Sleep Disorders:
Including the Risks & Treatment Solutions
With Dr. Michael Breus
It is an exciting time for sleep research and sleep medicine—literally every month we learn something new that can affect you and how you sleep. Therefore, Dr. Breus blogs about it, lectures on it and does podcasts. His mission is to teach everyone how to sleep better and share the latest information on sleep disorders, including how they’re diagnosed and the treatment options available.
Bring your questions!
Tuesday, February 6th
at 5 PM PST/ 8 PM EST.
Untreated Sleep Apnea
and Death of Deadliest Catch Star
Sleep Apnea and Death
We do want to take the time to offer our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Justin Tennison, a Deadliest Catch star on the Time Bandit. Justin passed away tragically in his sleep at the age of 33 as a result of complication related to sleep apnea (thus the reason we are discussing this on a CPAP blog) and we want to shine a light on snoring and sleep apnea, in particular, the deadly consequences and health risks it poses.
Public Awareness
Every so often sleep apnea pops up on the radar of mainstream journalism and reporting, unfortunately, in most cases, it’s to report the passing of someone that is famous or in the public eye. Take NFL great Reggie White or the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia who both passed away as a result of complications directly related to sleep apnea. It is reported that nearly 30% of the U.S. adult population suffers from sleep disordered breathing and roughly 85% of them remain undiagnosed. Yes, you read that correctly, remain undiagnosed. But I do see where CPAP machines are becoming more mainstream as they make their ways into bedrooms all across the country. The movie Hall Pass has a scene in which one the stars are sleeping with a ResMed S8 series CPAP machine and Full face CPAP mask. Philips Respironics CPAP machines are popping up in comedy shows like The Office, The League, and the HBO hit drama series The Sopranos.
A huge misconception is that ONLY the older and overweight people need a CPAP machine. False, I have friends that are in peak physical condition, mid 30’s and maintain a proper diet and lifestyle, yet I cannot be in the same room with them when we go on golf trip because of the severity of their snoring and witnessed apnea. They too, like many adults refuse to believe that their snoring and sleep apnea could be a potentially deadly disease (see the above-referenced people if you cannot believe). I will list the below information to help you identify the who, what, when, where and why of sleep apnea.