Services – Sleep Apnea Specialist Seattle

We specialize in noninvasive sleep apnea treatment in Seattle/Mill Creek – sleep apnea specialist Seattle

At Mill Creek Sleep Dentistry, we know how important sleep is to your life. We know that you can’t feel energized and achieve good health unless you’re getting enough sleep – and good enough sleep. When your sleep is interrupted all night, you not only feel terrible, but you’re also at higher risk of many serious health problems. If you’re in bed for eight hours a night or longer, but you still feel tired during the day, then it’s very likely that you have a sleep disorder.

We specialize not only in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but in a specific type of treatment. It’s called oral device therapy, and it’s the most comfortable and convenient form of treatment available for this disorder. Here are the services we offer to our patients.

Screening and consultations

We love to meet with people who are having trouble sleeping and who feel tired all the time – because we know that there’s help available that can get you back to your energetic and healthy self. If you’re having trouble sleeping, please come in for a consultation to talk with us about it. If you’re not sure whether your daytime sleepiness is enough to be a concern, you can take the Epworth Sleep Test, a screening test used to identify people with potentially concerning levels of fatigue.

However, please rest assured that if you feel excessively tired throughout the day, you can trust yourself to know that it’s a problem. No one will judge you for seeking help for your sleep problems. We know that society tells people to “suck it up” and keep going even when they feel terrible, but there’s simply no reason to continue suffering when effective treatment is available.

Home sleep study testing

The first step in treating a sleep disorder is getting a sleep study, to know exactly what type of sleep problem we’re dealing with. Traditionally, this has involved a sleep study in a laboratory. Patients go in, are hooked up to a variety of monitors, and then sleep there in the lab while being watched by technicians. For many people, the inconvenience and discomfort of this process is enough to drive them away from it, and they keep suffering needlessly because they just can’t stand the thought of a sleep study.

That’s why we’re so excited to offer home sleep study testing. Instead of sleeping in a laboratory, you take home some simple equipment from our office. You attach the monitors yourself, and then sleep in the comfort of your own bed while recordings of your data are made. Then you bring back the equipment and we analyze the recordings. This process is much simpler and more comfortable, not to mention far cheaper, than a standard laboratory sleep test.

Oral device therapy – sleep apnea specialist Seattle

Sleep apnea is a condition in which a patient’s airway becomes blocked multiple times (sometimes hundreds of times) every night. This causes the body and brain to wake up in order to start breathing again. Often, the patient doesn’t remember the awakenings, but notices constant fatigue despite having spent enough time in bed “sleeping.”

If your sleep study finds that you have sleep apnea, you have a few treatment options. There are surgical treatments that reshape the airway, but this is very invasive and carries risks. There are also devices called CPAP machines that blow air into your face at night to keep your airway open, but many patients find this uncomfortable and don’t want to use a CPAP. Lifestyle changes are very helpful, but may not be enough for many patients, and also may take quite a while to work.

Oral device therapy is another option. These small devices are worn at night, and hold the tongue and/or lower jaw in place so they don’t block the airway as the body relaxes during sleep. There are several types of oral devices, and we’ll find the right one for you, then professionally fit it so it’s as comfortable as possible. This type of therapy is noninvasive, comfortable, and inexpensive.

We specialize in oral device therapy for sleep apnea. If you’re seeking treatment for sleep problems, you’ll know you’re in great hands with our specialized care. We have the knowledge and experience to give you the very best oral device treatment for sleep apnea available anywhere.