Feeling restless, irritated and groggy throughout the day? Have others said you snore and sometimes even gasp for air in your sleep? You may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) — a serious health condition not only keeping you from sleeping better, but also from leading a full and healthy life.
Millions of people endure it. The haze of weariness, the forgetfulness, the enormous effort that’s required to get out of bed every morning. For over half (yes, you read correctly: over 50%!) of American adults, these daily struggles hamper a normal lifestyle and relationships. But even more importantly, lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your health. From his Dunwoody, GA dental practice, Dr. Rodgers can analyze your condition and determine if you have sleep apnea.
What can sleep loss do? Just a few examples include diabetes complications, depression, blood pressure problems, strokes, and heart attacks. Just as your body needs air, food, and water, sleep gives you the ability to survive and thrive. It could be that your friends and family have said they’re concerned about you. Maybe you’ve become more forgetful, or you’re always tired and irritable. Dental sleep medicine has devised a comfortable, compact, efficient relief for sleep apnea and snoring, and you can get it straight from Dr. Rodgers.
Because sleep apnea is a recognized medical condition, treatment is covered by nearly every medical insurance provider. And at Sleep Better Georgia, we proudly accept and file all medical insurance benefits on behalf of our patients. We even take Medicare. It is our goal to make the payment process as seamless and easy for you as possible — processing your benefits quickly and efficiently to maximize coverage. We also work with patients to customize affordable monthly payment plans to fit their budget when needed.
Yes, while CPAP therapy is by far the most popular and commonly prescribed sleep apnea treatment, it is not the only option. Dr. Rodgers has helped hundreds of patients get better rest, restore their health, and stop using this noisy machine with custom-made oral appliances worn to bed.
Oral appliance therapy is the most comfortable and accessible CPAP alternative, as treatments like corrective surgery or a surgical implant cost several times more and can require a lengthy recovery time afterward (whereas an oral appliance starts working the very first night).
Years of chronic sleep deprivation can severely affect someone’s mental and physical health. Issues like depression, anxiety, persistent brain fog, and trouble with emotional regulation are extremely common, as are physical ailments like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. In short, it can severely affect someone’s quality of life as well as strain relationships because it’s difficult to be a good family member, partner, or parent when you’re exhausted all the time.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, untreated sleep apnea leads to a 17% increase in all-cause mortality, meaning it significantly raises the likelihood that someone will die prematurely. Often, this is due to heart problems (over 50,000 cardiovascular-related deaths are connected to sleep apnea each year) or motor vehicle accidents (studies show that driving while drowsy is actually more dangerous than being under the influence).
While countless sleep apnea patients are prescribed to use a CPAP machine every year in the U.S., studies show that over 50% of them will eventually stop because the machine is so noisy and uncomfortable. In short, the success of a sleep apnea treatment comes down to a patient’s willingness to consistently use it.
This is where oral appliance therapy shines. Because each mouthpiece is fully personalized, it is extremely comfortable and suited to the specific patient, making it easy to wear, easy to use, and effective clinically. Research shows that it has a drastically higher compliance rate compared to CPAP therapy, meaning for many patients, it’s truly the best option.
