Jay A. Nelson, DMD, has been helping patients in the area solve their dental problems for 25 years and saw the need to add dental sleep medicine to his list of services. He has years of successful experience working in collaboration with medical doctors to provide patients with an alternative to the obtrusive Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy.
Dr. Nelson has fitted more than a hundred patients suffering from sleep apnea with a dental appliance that fits over the teeth much like a retainer. The appliance moves the jaw forward and opens the airway during sleep.
The result is an immediate and dramatic reduction in snoring (in many cases, snoring stops completely) — which is often a relief to the patient’s bed partner who complains that their sleep too is interrupted by their partner’s snoring.
But more importantly, the open airway created by the dental appliance allows the patient to sleep through the night and awaken fully rested.
“There is nothing more important to maintaining good health and an energetic, productive day than a restful night’s sleep,” said Dr. Nelson from his office on S.R. 54 in Lutz.
“Our body needs a continuous flow of oxygen to sleep restfully,” he continues. “It is essential that our brain and body reboot every night by getting enough sleep. If we don’t reboot, lack of sleep impacts every aspect of our health, including weight gain, high blood pressure, memory loss and mental health.”
Dr. Nelson is one of the area’s few dentists to be certified in treating sleep breathing disorders in collaboration with your physician. His office recently received a three-year accreditation from the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, which required his practice to meet or exceed all standards for professional patient care, including continuing education for his staff and meeting standards for safety, customer service and patient follow-up.
Scientific studies have determined that dental sleep therapy is an effective alternative to CPAP therapy — which uses a bedside machine that pumps air into a patient’s nose and mouth throughout the night.
“Many people stop using their CPAP machine because they find its mask uncomfortable and the machine itself loud and disruptive to their bed partner,” said Dr. Nelson. “Those people are desperate to find an alternative that they can tolerate to help them sleep through the night and to stop snoring.”
Dr. Nelson fits his patients with mouthguard-like retainers worn only during sleep. These retainers easily and painlessly snap over a patient’s top and bottom teeth.
With the retainers in place, they prevent the air- way from collapsing by holding the tongue in place and moving the jaw forward. It typically takes a month for the retainers to be adjusted to a patient’s mouth. After the desired effect is reached, the patient does nothing more than pop the appliance in at night and rinse it off and store it away in the morning in a small carrying case.
Diane is a local businesswoman in her 50s who was fitted with an oral appliance by Dr. Nelson six months ago.
“I no longer snore and sleep better than I have in years,” said Diane. “I never realized what a huge difference a good night sleep would have on how I felt. My energy level is the best it’s been in years, and I wake up feeling refreshed and ready for a new day.”
The National Sleep Foundation reports that more than 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders today, and projects that number will more than double in 30 years as our population continues to age.
While these numbers are astounding, more astonishing is the number of people who are either unaware that they have a sleep disorder, or believe there is nothing they can do to treat it if they cannot tolerate CPAP treatment.
“It’s important that folks know there is an alternative to CPAP that is effective and affordable,” said Dr. Nelson. “We have helped so many people who find our oral appliances comfortable, easy to take in and out and convenient for travel.
“Our goal is to help people live longer by improving the quality of their sleep. Nothing is more important than sleep for good physical and mental health, and there’s no reason that anyone needs to suffer from snoring and sleep disorders”.
For more information on NelsonDentistry and Dental Sleep Medicine, visit www.SleepBetterFlorida.com or www.NelsonDentistry.com.
This story was written by the advertising department.
