Newport Beach Integrative Dental Medicine, wellness dentist, Dr. Dana Rockey discusses sleep apnea study results and diagnosis.

Sleep Apnea: The Solution Starts with an Accurate Definition and Enlisting the Help of a new Frontline Responder, Your Dentist

Newport Beach wellness dentist, Dr. Dana Rockey says that labeling Sleep Apnea as a “sleep disorder” and using the semantics that typically surround this serious issue can leave patients misguided, leading them down a path that can be detrimental to their health.

Defining Sleep Apnea
“Sleep Apnea is not a sleeping disorder, it’s a breathing disorder that disrupts sleep” Rockey says. Sleep is interrupted due to lack of breathing which is a result of the body’s inability to get oxygen, he says.

Impact of Breathing Disorders
The quality of our sleep directly impacts our health. Going without deep, uninterrupted sleep over extended periods contributes to major health problems such as strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic acid reflux. Sleep deprivation can also lead to driving accidents and job-related injuries. Research studies have also linked sleep apnea to diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Many of the 25 million Americans who have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) don’t realize how serious this disorder can be, or that their dentist can help. Sleep apnea causes those who have it to stop breathing for periods (“events”) that can range from a few seconds to more than a minute.

Dr. Rockey says that the mouth is the gateway to health, or disease, and directly impacts the health quality of the brain, heart and the body’s organs that are interdependent. The quality of our sleep directly impacts our body’s ability to operate at a level that fights disease, keeps us strong, and allows us to perform at our peak-level.

Testing: Depending on the results of the screening, Dr. Rockey could refer the patient to a sleep testing company who will deliver the test equipment to the patient’s home for a two-night, in-home study. This option is preferable to patients who prefer to conduct the test in the comfort of their own home. The sleep testing company will work closely with licensed sleep physicians to review and analyze the data.

Establishing a Diagnosis: Once the data from the sleep test has been reviewed, the sleep testing company and medical physician will determine the condition and degree of severity of the breathing disorder, then formulate a diagnosis.

Once the diagnosis has been established, an appropriate treatment/care plan will be determined that includes options that are reviewed with the patient. For conditions that range from light to moderate, Dr. Rockey is able to create a mouth appliance that repositions the jaw to open up the airway.

Sleep Dentistry, part of the Integrative Healthcare
At Dr. Rockey’s Newport Beach dental office Sleep Dentistry is a cornerstone offering for the practice in which Rockey and his staff combine an oral-systemic approach and discipline with wellness-based healthcare. Sleep dentistry deals directly with sleep apnea and breathing disorders, and is one of the pillars of the Oral-Systemic practice that focuses on Periodontal Disease, Sleep Apnea, and Lifestyle & Nutrition.

Rockey notes that his goal is to help people to live the best quality lives as possible. “We can help patients discover if they have a problem and improve their health in a way that is easy, doesn’t require any discomfort, and helps improve their quality of life – for themselves and their significant others” Rockey said.

In addition to working closely with sleep physicians, Dr. Rockey also works with oncologists, endocrinologists (diabetes), obstetrician-gynecologists and pediatricians to accurately diagnose conditions that range from simple to complex.

Championing a Shift from Procedure-based to Integrative-based Healthcare
For Dr. Rockey his aim is to teach patients, colleagues and the next generation of healthcare practitioners about the importance of integrative healthcare and the oral-systemic connection. He champions his vision of integrative healthcare that has healthcare professionals working collaboratively across disciplines to accurately diagnose health issues and develop solutions based on a careful examination of a big-picture view of the body’s interdependent systems.

Given what we now know dentists should view chronic inflammation, red/receding and bleeding gums, deep gum (periodontal) pocket measurements, and breathing disorders in a different light. They should recognize these as symptoms of root causes and not simply procedures to be treated locally in the mouth. No longer is ‘drilling and filling’ an acceptable healthcare standard. The work we do as dentists is more in line with a first responder who have the ability to save lives.

This article can be found at https://www.danarockey.com/sleepapnea/