San Francisco, April 20, 2011 – Sereno, The Center for Snoring Solutions, announced today its affiliation with a sleep dentistry specialist to complement Sereno’s highly specialized care for snoring and sleep apnea.
"Offering access to a specialized sleep dentist demonstrates Sereno’s commitment to providing excellence in patient care and results for those suffering from these pervasive conditions," says Matthew Mingrone, MD, president of Sereno, Inc. "The affiliation enables us to help more patients suffering from snoring and sleep apnea by targeting two additional areas, the tongue and the jaw."
Snoring and sleep apnea are complex conditions often caused by several factors including:
· The soft palate (the muscular part of the roof of the mouth)
· Obstructed nasal breathing
· Uvula (the soft tissue that hangs from the roof of the mouth)
· Size of the tongue and position of the jaw
· Lifestyle choices and aging
"A number of structures in the upper airway may ultimately contribute to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea," said Dr. Richard Goode, Professor of Otolaryngology at Stanford University School of Medicine. "Typically, these conditions are caused by a combination of several anatomical structures. A treatment approach that targets these conditions at multiple levels, rather than one, offers patients the best opportunity to achieve a successful result."
Sereno’s approach on how to stop snoring and sleep apnea begins with an evaluation performed by a board certified Ear, Nose and Throat physician. Once the causes are identified, the Sereno physician recommends a treatment plan to target the patient’s unique problem areas. The plan often consists of a combination of simple, in-office treatments, each designed to target a different area of the anatomy that can cause snoring or sleep apnea.
The primary treatment available through sleep dentistry is oral appliance therapy. Oral appliances, sometimes referred to as dental appliances, are a type of snoring mouthpiece similar in appearance to mouth guards and worn only during sleep. The benefits of oral appliance therapy include:
· Significant improvements in sleep apnea symptoms, including oxygen saturation and daytime sleepiness.(1)
· Considerably higher compliance rates than CPAP (approximately 3x higher). (2)
· The American Academy of Sleep Medicine now recommends oral appliances for patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea and those with severe sleep apnea who are unwilling or unable to tolerate CPAP. (3)
Dr. Larry Aronson, DDS serves as a sleep dental specialist working in affiliation with Sereno. In this role, Dr. Aronson works closely with Sereno’s medical team to determine the type of oral appliance appropriate for candidates. Dr. Aronson is a member of both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and has served as a trusted private practice dentist in the Bay Area for more than 30 years.
