Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Your Dentist Could Save Your Life

Snoring is more than a nuisance – it can harm both your health and your relationships! It is not only loud and disruptive, it can awaken both you and your partner while sleeping. And it could be a sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a serious and even life -threatening disorder.

Sleep Apnea not only makes your sleep loud, it also makes it unfulfilling and dangerous. The real danger begins when you stop breathing – sometimes for a minute or longer.

Cessation of Breath

When you stop breathing, your brain wakes you up and that is when the loud gasping and the resumption of snoring are heard. This constant cessation of breath and consequent waking can have a devastating effect on health. The oxygen in your blood can become depleted. There is even evidence that Sleep Apnea can worsen fibromyalgia, trigger hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. And if you are diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, you certainly aren’t alone: Obstructive Sleep Apnea affects more than 20 million Americans.

Dental Sleep Medicine

Specially trained dentists are helping patients worldwide with comfortable and convenient dental sleep medicine, and now Staten Island residents can find relief too. Dr. Craig Ratner has advanced training to recognize and diagnose various sleep problems associated with oral misalignment of the nose and mouth structure, especially Sleep Apnea.

How It Works

If you have already been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and have difficulty using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device to splint the airway and keep it open with forced air, we can offer an alternative device that many patients find more comfortable and more convenient – the Mandibular Advancement Device(MAD). This small, custom-made splint treats both snoring and mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea by gently moving the jaw forward.

This forward movement allows your tongue to move forward as well. It also tightens the soft tissue and muscles of the upper airway, which prevents obstruction of the airway while you sleep. The tightening created by the device also prevents the tissues of the upper airway from vibrating as air passes over them – the most common cause of loud snoring.

The patented mechanism on the lower arch of the orthotic splint ensures that your lower jaw remains in the correct position, whether you sleep with your mouth open or closed.

If you have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and can’t tolerate a CPAP, call Dr. Craig Ratner at 718.984.1652. It could save your mornings – and your life!