Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Is There a Pill for Sleep Apnea?

Saturday, August 18, 2012

For most medical conditions we are used to the doctor handing us a prescription for a pill. Treating obstructive sleep apnea doesn't work that way. U.S. Pharmacist recently published a review of drugs that have been used in conjunction with sleep apnea treatment -- not surprisingly they showed that obstructive sleep apnea requires a physical intervention, not a pharmacological one.

Obstructive sleep apnea affects millions of people and is especially common in overweight patients. Some estimates say that almost 80% of severely obese patients suffer from sleep apnea. Losing weight is a good option in the long term for these folks but in the meantime they need treatment.

CPAP machines are a wonderful treatment for sleep apnea. The problem is many people cannot tolerate the masks and hoses.

A highly effective treatment for those who can't or don't want to use CPAP is an oral appliance. These small devices have been shown to be much more popular with patients than CPAP. There are many, many different types and a dentist who has had extensive training and experience in the field of dental sleep medicine can choose the device that will be best for you.

To find out more about treating your obstructive sleep apnea please contact Dr. Kenneth A. Mogell at Dental Sleep Disorders of Florida. Our Boca office can be reached at 561-394-9000 or contact our new Vero Beach location at 772-882-6800.

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