Sleep Apnea
Our practice has been treating patients with sleep apnea since 1995.
Dr. Hardy and Dr. Andelin are able to identify patients who may be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on patient history. They will then order a sleep study, which will determine the severity of the disease in the individual patient. This may include especial pressurized breathing machines to be used at night or fabrication of a splint to be worn between the upper and lower teeth while you sleep. More severe cases, or cases that do not respond to medical management, will require surgical treatment to open the airway. This may be done at one or more levels depending on the area of obstruction that is causing the sleep apnea.
Septal surgery can be done for nasal obstruction. Laser assisted reduction of the uvula and soft palate can be performed for obstruction at that level (where most snoring occurs), and muscular suspension techniques or orthognathic surgery can be performed to open the airway at the level of the throat. It is important to seek a consultation if you have the symptoms of OSA because, like hypertension and diabetes, this disease can have fatal consequences if left untreated.