Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Do you wake up with morning headaches? Do you feel just as tired when you wake up as before you went to bed? Is your spouse sleeping in the next room because you snore, gasp, and make choking sounds while you sleep?  If so, Honolulu sleep apnea dentist Tony Kim DDS can help you.

These are just a few symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea which is a potentially life threatening condition which goes largely undiagnosed now. Sleep apnea may have synergistic harmful effects on health with diabetes and cardiovascular problems which are also very common today. It greatly increases risk of stroke and has also been linked to depression, erectile dysfunction, and even bedwetting.

Dr. Kim can help those with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with dental treatment of OSA. The major treatment options for OSA:

1. CPAP – This is the gold standard of treatment. It is the most effective way to treat sleep apnea but unfortunately has low long term usage. There are many reasons why people stop using their CPAPs and if you are in that category you could look into dental sleep apnea treatment. Special medical doctors can help you get a CPAP.
2. Surgery – This can be effective too but there is a higher chance to regression due to scar tissue formation, not to mention that many people are worried about the pain associated with surgery.
3. Dental OSA treatment with specialized mouthpieces – Has a much higher long term usage than CPAP due to being more comfortable.

Here is a testimonial from a patient with the Somnomed:

If you have a CPAP but aren’t using it for whatever reason, please contact us because ignoring this condition will only put you at a greater risk for serious health consequences. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to take care of this serious health problem.

Lifestyle changes will also greatly help all the methods succeed including weight loss, quitting smoking, and avoiding alcohol. Your medical doctor can help you with techniques and recommendations to help you with these lifestyle changes. I personally believe that naturopaths, nutritionists, and dieticians are also fantastic experts to seek regarding weight loss.

If you have been tested and don’t have sleep apnea but snore, or just want to stop snoring then we can make a anti-snoring mouthpiece you wear at night which either stops or greatly decreases snoring. I’ve even had clients get these for their spouses so they can sleep in the same room again.

We have screening equipment which may help discover if you do have OSA, and also to see if you may have some blockage in your nasal cavity. If we pick up warning signs with our testing equipment then we can guide you what do next. If you are worried you may have obstructive sleep apnea please contact us.