Do you snore?

When Snoring is an issue in your household……

Dr. Galante is pleased to offer a safe and comfortable solution to snoring and mild to moderate Sleep Apnea. Dr. Galante recently completed a 9-day mini residency on Snoring and Sleep Apnea at Tufts University in Boston and is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM). Dr. Galante has the knowledge and the expertise to help you find out if you have these conditions, and what he can do to help you with it. Below are some common questions and answers about Snoring and Sleep Apnea and information on how you can be screened and tested.

Dental Sleep Medicine

Dental Sleep Medicine is an area of dental practice that focuses on the use of oral appliance therapy to treat sleep-disordered breathing, including snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Dentists work together with sleep physicians to identify the best treatment for each patient.

Your Health and Quality of Life

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea disrupt your sleep, and increase your risk of severe health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, fibromyalgia, stroke, and early mortality to name just a few problems. Remember that snoring is a warning sign that there is a problem that should not be ignored.

What is Snoring?

Snoring is a sound that occurs during sleep when soft tissue in the upper airway vibrates as you breathe. Snoring is extremely common in men, but also occurs frequently in women, especially during pregnancy and after menopause. Obesity, nasal obstruction, alcohol, and smoking all increase the risk of snoring. The problem with snoring is that it can be an indication of a much more serious problem called Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that occurs when your throat muscles relax during sleep allowing soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. As a result, repeated breathing pauses occur, which often reduce oxygen levels. These breathing pauses are followed by brief awakenings that disturb your sleep.

Common signs of sleep apnea include snoring and gasping or chocking sounds during sleep. Like snoring sleep apnea is more common in men, but it can occur in women too. The same things that cause snoring cause sleep apnea.

Dentists and Oral Appliance Therapy

Dentists pioneered the use of oral appliance therapy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring in adults. An oral appliance is a device worn in the mouth only during sleep. It fits like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer. A custom-fitted oral appliance is an effective treatment that prevents the airway from collapsing by supporting the jaw in a forward position.

Qualified Dentists and Patient Care

In 2015 the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the two most highly respected Boards for Sleep and Airway Health, published a joint updated clinical practice guideline for the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Oral Appliance Therapy. Their recommendations were:

• Sleep physicians can prescribe oral appliances for adult patients who request treatment for snoring.
• When oral appliance therapy is prescribed by a sleep physician for OSA, it should be made by a qualified dentist.
• Sleep physicians can prescribe an oral appliance for adult patients with OSA who are intolerant of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).
• A qualified dentist will provide oversight for patients with oral appliances to survey for dental related side effects, or teeth changes.
• Sleep physicians and qualified dentists should instruct patients treated for OSA to return for periodic office visits.

Why should you see Dr. Galante if you think you have a Snoring or Sleep Apnea problem?

First, Dr. Galante has been designated a qualified dentist by the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. A qualified dentist is a dentist who has:

• A valid state dental license.
• Has liability coverage.
• Has taken at least 25 hours of recognized continuing education provided by a dental sleep medicine focused non-profit organization or accredited dental school in the last two years.

Dr. Galante took a 9-day mini residency at Tufts University in Boston on Sleep Apnea. He had to not only attend the classes with hands on training, but had to read over 75 peer reviewed articles on Snoring and Sleep Apnea and had to abstract those articles and send them back to Tufts.The residency started for 3-days in Sept. 2016, 3-days in Jan. 2017, and 3-days in April 2017. The Tufts Mini-Residency on Snoring and Sleep Apnea is recognized as one of the top 3 residences in the country in this field.He was lectured by physicians & dentists from Harvard University, University of Calgary, British Columbia, and many other distinguished experts from around the world. He also joined the Spencer Study Club- organized by Jameson Spencer one of his mentors from Tufts. This study club is exclusively dedicated to Sleep medicine and TMD treatment.

He is working with Sleep physicians, internal medicine physicians, ENT physicians, and physical therapists to give his patients the most comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of these very serious sleep disordered breathing problems We can help you live a longer more productive life!