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Sleep Apnea

When conservative treatments have failed to work, oral surgery can be performed to treat severe sleep apnea to ensure proper airflow during sleep.

Sleep Apnea

Oral surgery can treat sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common than you may think. Millions of Americans suffer from this chronic sleep disorder, which can cause long-term health complications. OSA occurs when there are pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep that lower blood oxygen levels.

Once a patient has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, nonsurgical treatment is a common next step, such as lifestyle changes and the use of a CPAP machine. For more serious cases of sleep apnea, or when conservative treatments fail to work, surgical treatment is often recommended. Surgical treatment of sleep apnea tends to be very effective, improving the quality of life, sleep, and overall health.

Dr. Falk and Dr. Moody perform surgical correction for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Correcting this condition improves health by improving sleep and reducing the health risks associated with untreated sleep apnea.

Your first visit to our office will include a thorough physical examination of your nasopharyngeal structures and the use of advanced 3D scanning technology to determine the level of obstruction. Candidates for surgical treatment of sleep apnea are eligible because there is a physical obstruction of the area that can be surgically corrected.

Signs and Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

There are several medical complications associated with uncontrolled sleep apnea, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Many times, the patient is unaware of their sleep apnea until a bed partner notices. However, there are some signs and symptoms to watch out for, including

If you are experiencing any of these signs and symptoms, it is important to contact a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment. A sleep study, called a polysomnogram, can diagnose sleep apnea. Your doctor can refer to an oral surgeon if surgical treatment is recommended.

Surgical treatment for sleep apnea can be performed at our state-of-the-art practice under IV sedation. For some patients, orthognathic surgery is the recommended treatment for sleep apnea, which will reposition the bones of the jaw to augment the size of the airway. This type of orthognathic surgery would be performed in a hospital under general anesthesia.