News you won't see in controlled mainstream media.

Hi (Contact First Name),

Picture this.  You are snuggled in bed, under a cozy comforter, waiting for the sandman.  You start to doze off, and your body prepares for the descent into the revitalizing, healing and critical state of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the deepest, most rejuvenating (and critical) state of sleep.  Without REM sleep over a period of time, the body cannot survive.

You approach the level of REM, and then something happens!  You stop breathing!  You may either wake up gasping for air with the feeling of suffocating or receive a violent shake from your wife or significant other, who says frantically "Honey, you stopped breathing," or even worse, you turn over and venture back into another such cycle.

This condition is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).  Apnea (ápnee ə) is defined as: a brief

pause in breathing, a temporary suspension or absence of breathing.  The word comes from Greek apnoia "not breathing" from pnein "breathe."

The liability is that this "episode" of the body coming out of REM sleep to take a breath disturbs the deeper sleep.  Without hours of uninterrupted deep sleep, one can wake up tired, exhausted, dragging, perhaps cranky, snappy and even worse.

Unfortunately, there is not just one such episode a night.  There can be dozens or even hundreds of them and OSA/sleep apnea does much more than just disrupt your sleep.

When an episode occurs, oxygen levels fall, carbon dioxide levels rise, there is a spike in blood pressure, heart rate and hormones as the body struggles to breathe.  As a result, OSA has been linked to many chronic medical conditions, including high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attack, stroke or even sudden death.

There is considerable evidence that OSA commonly occurs in those who snore loudly, which is created by the partial blocking of the airway.

When you fall asleep your muscles relax, including those that control the tongue and throat.  The soft tissue at the back of your throat can sag, narrowing the airway.  Incoming air then makes the tissue at the rear roof of the mouth (the soft palate), the flap of skin hanging from the palate (uvula) and the throat vibrate - a sound we know as snoring.

While those with sleep apnea may think they are resting, their body is actually struggling for air.  Although OSA sufferers may experience hundreds of apnea episodes per night, they are unlikely to remember any of them and what is most dangerous is they may not be aware of their condition, even after many years.

Only a physician can officially diagnose sleep apnea after a sleep test (a Polysomnogram, which is necessary in order to bill medical insurance for the appliance). 

Once diagnosed with this problem, many are prescribed CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) treatment as well as invasive and aggressive surgeries done in an attempt to open a person's airway to improve their breathing at night.

Unfortunately, many of those who are prescribed CPAP cannot tolerate its use (due to its bulky, claustrophobic feel) and stop using it without telling their doctor.  This can be dangerous and even life threatening. 

Well, we definitely have good news for them.

Fortunately, there is accepted alternative treatment using oral dental appliances.  What we have found is the most effective and well-tolerated is the SomnoDent..  This is a non-invasive appliance that is worn only while sleeping designed to maintain an open airway.

To download and print an informational brochure 

click here.

With the awareness increasing of this insidious condition, it is vitally important for us to know if you have a history of snoring, or feel you may have this condition. 

Call our office at 727 446-6747 and make an appointment for an evaluation as soon as possible.

If there are indications of it, you will be given direction on how to address this potentially life-threatening situation.

Root Canal with Ozone Therapy - Sequence of Events

Getting ozone therapy prior to having a root canal done can help kill any bacteria/ fungus/virus that are in the microscopic tubules of this dead tooth. 

The steps we recommend are: 

1.  Endodontist

The endodontist (root canal specialist) will do the first step.  The canals of the tooth will be cleaned and shaped, then a temporary filling will be put in the tooth. 

2.  Dr. Behm

The next two steps of ozonating the tooth are done in our office. 

The first appointment can be on the same day or a week or so after the endodontist.  We will remove the temporary filling, ozonate and then put another temporary filling in.  No anesthesia is needed for ozonation. 

3.  Dr. Behm

Step 2 will be repeated about 10+ days later. 

4.  Endodontist

Then go to the endodontist, who will finish the root canal.

5.  Dr. Behm

The final step is for us to put a metal-free core in the tooth for extra strength, and crown it.  This step will take two visits, then you're done.

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