Patient Information

Most people think that only fat people snore and have sleep apnea. Guess what, each one of these people above, no matter what age or body type, can have this hugely debilitating problem.

Snoring is a symptom...the real problem is OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Those of you who fall asleep during the day easily or have restless sleep, you can be suffering from OSA. The daytime is when you should have much energy and concentration. Sleep Apnea robs you of daytime wakefulness. This problem has serious consequences, including driving, if it is caused by Sleep Apnea. Our purpose is to teach, to screen, and to treat those who are affected and want to become healthier.

Currently the focus of intense medical and dental research, this disorder is now known to result in serious long term cardiovascular risk, yet is tragically under diagnosed and often left untreated. The medical community is now aware that people are dying from this problem all too frequently. Our goal is to provide our patients with the most comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of OSA available. That approach starts with screening for, and education of our patients about the signs and symptoms of this disorder found beyond classic snoring.

When symptoms are indicated, we move forward with a thorough diagnostic evaluation and recommendations for treatment. What makes our approach so unique and valuable? It is one of the first centers to combine the medical and dental professions along with state of the art diagnostic tools to co-manage this potentially life threatening problem. How serious is this problem? Consider these statistics:

 100-200 million people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea causing long-term health risks
 Increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and impotency
 OSA increases risk of heart attack by 30%
 Strong correlation between obesity, alcohol consumption & OSA
 One-third of diabetics suffer from sleep apnea
 Adds approx. $15 billion to the annual healthcare bill in the USA

In past years, OSA was largely overlooked and only those who complained of sleep apnea or snoring were sent to a "Sleep Specialist." Referral most often led to an overnight sleep study in a sleep lab and a recommendation for a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. These patients wore a mask over their nose which pumped air into their airway every night as they slept. Although CPAP is still the "gold standard" for treating severe sleep apnea, it is very uncomfortable and inconvenient so that the majority of patients were non-compliant after one year. In 2005 the American Academy of Sleep Medicine stated that an alternative for the CPAP machine, an oral appliance fitted by a Qualified Dentist, was the recommended treatment for mild to moderate Sleep Apnea. It was also indicated for severe sleep apnea patients who could not tolerate the CPAP (over 80% of all people). Oral appliances are much better tolerated and convenient for most patients achieving a 85% percent continued usage after one year of use. Unfortunately these "Sleep Specialists did not look at ALL the modalities necessary to treat this problem and did not include every method of treatment.

As research in the areas of Medical and Dental Sleep Medicine has expanded and the medical risks associated with OSA have been widely acknowledged, the need for the integration of the Medical and Dental professions has become clear�and that is why the Focus Center for Sleep Apnea and Snoring was created. Our model is based up the concept similar to that of a primary Care Physician or a General Dentist, that is, after we have done the complete workup and determine your problem, we utilize a Specialist, when we need their assistance, to help solve your problem. For example, if we found that a problem existed in your nasal airway we would send you directly to an ENT Specialist to take care of that problem before any other work is started. Our goal is to figure out the problem which can have a multi- disciplinary answer. Your solution lies between both professions�. each helping the other to get a "More Complete Solution for you". So what else makes us different? We use the latest and greatest equipment to help us diagnose all our patients with a proven set of parameters. These tests also allow us to check your medical contributing factors that are related to snoring and sleep apnea.

Our approach begins with simple questions given to you and your sleep partner. If your responses suggest OSA, additional testing will be recommended using state of the art diagnostic equipment. Our goal is to keep costs down so that a larger group of people can benefit even if finances are a problem. Our method is NOT to create one product for everyone�each person is unique and we will strive to create the correct solution for your sleeping disorder.

So why do we think we are the most qualified with our model? All of our Doctors involved are heavily invested in time, education and clinical protocols for the advancement of treating sleep apnea and snoring. We know that we need to work together and the solution for you is best obtained when we are housed at one office location. Our goal is to find those people who do not realize they have sleep apnea and help increase the quality of their lives. Our protocol is as follows:

1. All patients from our General Dental Practices, Medical Family Practices and the general public will get a questionnaire that they fill out within ten minutes. We will also give a set of questions to their bed partner to fill out. It is always surprising how these two sets of questions can have such different answers between the two people! Cost �Free

2. When the forms are returned and, if the answers warrant the next level of testing, Dr. Anderson will schedule a follow up visit to perform an extensive history, physical exam, and evaluate your airway with advanced sonar mapping technology. This computer controlled test (Rhinometer and Pharyngometer), will show us in detail how much collapse or loss of airway space has occurred.

3. The next in a series of tests involve the use of a device that helps us evaluate your individual sleep pattern with a in depth home sleep study. The Watch Pat is an electronic computer that is taken home by you to wear overnight in your usual sleep environment. It is extremely comfortable to wear and does not affect your usual pattern of sleep. It tells us how much true sleep you get, how much and how loud you snore, and what position you snore the most in. It evaluates your sleep stages (including REM sleep) and the oxygen content of your blood at different times of your sleep. Finally, it analyzes your personal data and generates a report that all of us in sleep medicine can understand.

4. If we determine that you do have OSA, we will, depending on the severity, have treatment in our facility for a simple dental device to be worn while sleeping, or possibly an overnight sleep study done in a controlled environment (PSG, polysomnogram) and possible treatment with a CPAP machine for more severe cases. If we feel that other Medical Personnel are needed to help, we will send you to them. Again, what makes us more unique is after treatment, you are tested again to make sure that you are better. We want to make sure that you are better and have helped you in every way that can be done.

In conclusion, we offer the most complete approach to patient care with respect to the diagnosis, treatment, and Specialist referrals for treatment of Sleep Apnea and Snoring.