Get help for your snoring and sleep apnea so you can rest better—and quieter!
We treat sleep-disordered breathing through a special night-guard called COAT®.
Snoring is a common complaint among spouses whose partners interrupt their sleep with their noisy breathing every night. But besides being an annoyance to others in your household, snoring can also be a sign of a more serious health problem. Loud snoring is a common sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which your throat muscles intermittently relax and block your airway while you sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea can cause issues such as daytime fatigue, cardiovascular problems, eye problems including glaucoma, and even sudden death from a cardiac event.
What Is Dental Sleep Medicine?
Dental sleep medicine is an area of dentistry that treats snoring and OSA, primarily through the use of COAT (Continuous Open Airway Therapy)®. COAT is a custom-made oral appliance that you wear at night while you sleep, similar to a retainer or mouth guard for sports. COAT can serve as a more comfortable alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.
A COAT mouthpiece works by thrusting your jaw slightly forward while you sleep, thus keeping your airway open and preventing breathing problems during the night.
Who Are Dental Sleep Devices For?
Oral sleep devices (COAT) are not for everyone; more severe sleep apnea cases may require CPAP therapy or even surgery. Oral devices are indicated for the following types of patients, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM):
- Mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea patients
- Sleep apnea patients who can’t use CPAP or prefer to use COAT to CPAP
- Patients with primary snoring (snoring with no underlying cause)
Dentists commonly work with sleep specialist-physicians to prescribe COAT to treat mild and moderate OSA patients, as well as patients who snore but do not have OSA.
Why Choose COAT Over CPAP?
While CPAP is a more intensive treatment for moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea, it requires patients to wear a mask every night, and may not be comfortable to sleep in. Many CPAP patients do not use their device regularly for this reason. If you can’t tolerate CPAP for your obstructive sleep apnea, COAT may be a more tolerable and realistic choice.
In some cases, patients may have only mild sleep apnea or snoring without sleep apnea. With mild sleep apnea and primary snoring, nighttime breathing problems can often be treated effectively with COAT, and not require the more expensive and less comfortable CPAP option.
Catlett Family Dentistry & Dental Sleep Medicine
Catlett Family Dentistry is certified to treat your sleep-disordered breathing through the use of custom-fit nighttime mouthpieces.We encourage you to schedule a sleep history exam and workup with us by filling out this quick form. You can also call us to make a consultation appointment, during which our friendly and knowledgeable staff will discuss your eligibility and answer any questions or concerns you might have about COAT and dental sleep medicine, including how to get your insurance to cover the treatment.
When you are ready, we’ll book you the next available appointment to talk about how dental sleep therapy might be right for you. Reach us at (910) 487-0807, Monday through Thursday, or reach out online.