Sleep Apnea- story continued from page 1 your teeth, so there is no risk of swallowing the device. “In simplest terms, it’s like a mouthguard, but there is so much more to it. I work with patients that suffer from obstructed sleep apnea who either fail at their CPAP or, for whatever reason, choose not to use it. We’re here for those who seek alternative care to treat their sleep apnea,” she said. Some signs of sleep apnea include insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, falling asleep unintentionally during the day, loud snoring at night, waking up short of breath, gasping for air, and headaches upon waking because you are not getting enough oxygen to your brain throughout the night. Dr. Bulnes-Newton recommends getting tested for sleep apnea if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. Sleep Better Tampa
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offers the ability to facilitate a home sleep study sent directly to your home. Undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea puts you at a greater risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and for a man, impotence. Studies show that left untreated; sleep apnea can shorten your lifespan by 7-10 years. Most medical insurance carriers and Medicare help pay for these FDA-approved medical oral appliances to treat sleep apnea. . “This is a device approved by the FDA as a medically necessary device. This is not something that is run through your dental insurance. We work with all the medical insurances to assure that patient benefits as best possible with their medical insurance companies for this treatment.” The device is custom-
fabricated and custom-fitted for each patient – no one size fits all. It can be used for sleep apnea and snoring prevention, and the team at Sleep Better Tampa will walk patients through every step of the process. As a dentist, Dr. BulnesNewton sees the causes of sleep apnea every day. “We also look at anatomy. Are the patients’ tongues taking up a lot of space? Are we
having difficulty looking down their airway? Do they have trouble when we lean them back to breathe properly? Do they feel like they are choking even if no procedure is being performed? We see a lot anatomically,” she said. “I work with patients who need testing, are newly diagnosed, or cannot tolerate their CPAP.” Sleep Better Tampa employs a small specialty team to help arrange home sleep tests, file medical claims, and
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