Arizona Sleep Dentist

For people in Arizona who would like to try a dental appliance for sleep apnea or excessive snoring, an Arizona sleep dentist with extensive experience in sleep dentistry is the best choice. An experienced sleep dentist will know how to assess snoring, and sleep apnea cases, and can custom fit a dental appliance to each patient’s mouth to help maintain the best possible airway during sleep.

A dental appliance can help those with sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP therapy.

Millennium Dental Associates (MDA), located in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers patients a holistic approach to dentistry and oral health. Dr. Nicholas Meyer has been in private dental practice since 1980, and has been practicing in Arizona since 1988. Dr. Meyer’s credentials are extensive, and a detailed curriculum vitae is available on his website.

MDA offers diagnostic services to sleep apnea sufferers, as well as custom fitting of oral dilators designed to open the mouth vertically and hold the jaw in a forward position. This keeps the airway open during sleep, and prevents decreases in blood oxygen levels due to airway obstruction.

The MDA site offers a helpful walkthrough for new patients, which includes the names and positions of the staff members. This walkthrough also specifically mentions some of the routine diagnostic procedures done in the office, including a 3-D digital x-ray machine that minimizes actual patient exposure to x-rays. Interestingly, MDA also offers a homeopathic remedy that is intended to detoxify the body of any lingering effects of the x-rays.

MDA does not do any insurance billing beyond a simple submission of claim forms for patient reimbursement. They require that the balance be paid at the time of service, although they do offer a third party administered payment plan for patients who need it. MDA does sometimes require a pre-service deposit, and the fee for cancellations without 24-hour notice is $50.00.

Arizona Dental Medicine (ADM) is a Tucson-based dental practice with two dentists, Rochelle Riley, DDS, and Rick Light, DDS. Both are affiliated with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. The staff also includes two dental hygienists, Jillian Kersten and Allison Bruce.

ADM offers a convenient on-line appointment and information request form, and new patient forms are available on the ADM site, including a questionnaire specifically geared topatients with sleep disorders. ADM does bill insurance plans, but does not work with HMOs. They do offer third-party financing for patients who need to pay for their treatment in installments.

ADM does not do initial diagnostic tests for sleep apnea, but they do offer home-based polysomnograms (sleep studies) to confirm medically diagnosed cases of severe snoring or sleep apnea. ADM also uses pharyngometry to evaluate each patient’s airway. A pharyngometer measure the diameter and stability of a patient’s airway and uses these measurements to find the areas of obstruction.

The dentist places the pharyngometer between a patient’s teeth, and has the patient move his or her jaw back and forth. In this way, the dentist is able to find the jaw position that keeps the airway the stablest and maintains the highest possible airway diameter. This information is then used to precisely fit the oral appliance for the most beneficial effects.

These practices are just two examples of many dental practices in Arizona that offer sleep disorder dentistry services. Asking friends and family members for recommendations will offer a perspective that no office website or brochure can, but office flyers and blogs can be a great place to start researching. Some dentists offer a free initial consultation, or will talk briefly with you over the phone regarding your concerns.

Don’t be afraid to ask the dentist questions about his or her practice, appropriate diagnostic services, or treatment planning, and always make sure to understand the risks, benefits, and cost of any treatment or procedure before the dentist performs it.

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• Why Is Sleep Important

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• How to Put Someone to Sleep
• Stop Snoring Mouthpiece
• How Long Can You Live Without Sleep

• Category:Snoring
• Category:Sleep Apnea