Our facility was accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for Oral Appliance therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea.
Dr Cahn, who is a diplomate of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, is the director.
The appliances are covered by Medicare and most medical insurances.
According to the American Sleep Association, 25 million adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea. Estimates are that between 9% to 21% of women, and 24% to 31% of men suffer from this sleeping disorder. Although it’s more common in people over the age of 40, it’s not just adults who are affected. Healthy children and young adults also can be afflicted by sleep apnea, and are being diagnosed now more than ever before.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is defined as a complete cessation of breathing during sleep lasting ten seconds or greater. Dr. Jeffrey Cahn, a leading dentist in the field, advises patients not to overlook the effects of sleep apnea. Many people shrug off the annoying snoring or mild tiredness during the day, but what many people don’t know is that obstructive sleep apnea is actually severely detrimental to health. There can be serious consequences to a person who stops breathing, even for a short period of time.
If left untreated, sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening condition that can increase the risk of serious health problems, including congestive heart failure, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Diabetes, obesity, depression, and impotence are also side effects that can occur in individuals suffering from sleep apnea.
Sleep deficits caused by sleep apnea can lead to daytime drowsiness and decreased work efficiency, with 37.9% of adults who suffer from sleep apnea reporting unintentionally falling asleep during the day and 4.7% of adults reporting nodding off or falling asleep while driving at least once in the preceding month.
For many years, sleep apnea has been traditionally treated with CPAP machines (Continuous Positive Air Pressure), which require that an individual wears a mask over the mouth and/or nose connected to a machine. While CPAP is very effective, up to 50% of sleep apnea patients do not use or tolerate CPAP well according to a American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine study. Oral appliance therapy offers a comfortable and effective alternative to CPAP therapy.
Dr. Jeffrey Cahn — who has been providing oral appliance therapy for over 25 years— now offers an alternative to PAP therapies. A new and better way to treat obstructive sleep apnea: Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT). Oral Appliance Therapy treatment utilizes custom designed oral appliances to control obstructive sleep apnea.
OAT involves the selection, design, fitting, and use of an oral appliance worn during sleep. These oral appliances treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, and are similar to orthodontic retainers or sports mouth guards. They function by keeping the lower jaw and tongue from falling back during sleep to maintain an open and unobstructed airway.
"It changed my life. Not only do I feel better during the day; but my wife can sleep better now that the snoring is gone."
For many, oral appliance devices are more comfortable than CPAP masks, and research suggests that OAT offers a higher patient compliance rate than CPAP. The devices are also quiet, portable, easy to manage and clean, and come in more than 80 different styles, all of which have received FDA approval.
Best of all, Oral Appliance Therapy is covered by medical insurance and Medicare, so it is an accessible treatment for everyone.
But it’s not only the sleep apnea treatment that matters — it’s also the doctor behind your care. As a diplomate of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, Dr. Cahn is one of only a few dental sleep specialists in Stamford and Fairfield County. His dental facility is certified by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, making it the only facility in the area with this high level of certification.
Dr. Cahn works closely with pulmonologists who, by use of sleep studies, diagnose obstructive sleep apnea and characterize its severity. If you are diagnosed, Dr Cahn will determine if you are a candidate for OAT and which appliance will work best for your specific situation. Dr. Cahn will then make custom-fit, comfortable oral appliances which can greatly reduce or eliminate apnea and snoring.
What are Dr. Cahn’s patients saying about his Oral Appliance Therapy? Carol explains her experience using OAT vs. CPAP:
“I just can’t believe this oral appliance device I’m using for my sleep apnea. I had been using a CPAP for a year and a half, and it was so high maintenance. I’d get up in the morning to get ready for work and I didn’t want to take care of the machine maintenance and then take care of myself to get to work. I went over to Dr. Cahn’s office and got the Oral Appliance Therapy device, and my sleep was just absolutely delicious. It was so deep and I hadn’t had deep sleep like this in ages. And it’s so portable. The CPAP is a machine that’s cumbersome to carry around, but the oral appliance is just a small thing that fits in your pocket that you can carry around easily anytime. I highly recommend it.”
