As a member of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, Dr. Starkman has been trained in dental inserts that slip into the mouth at bedtime and are easily removed in the morning. These inserts help to treat people suffering from sleep apnea and snoring. We work with medical sleep labs, sleep physicians and other physicians of all specialties.

The TAP® is a custom-made, patient-adjustable oral device that is worn while sleeping. The TAP®s simple design coupled with its high compliance rate makes it the most effective anti-snoring and sleep apnea device available. The TAP® is also the primary oral appliance replacement for the Continuous Positive Airway (CPAP) machine and surgery. Visit http://www.amisleep.com/index.html for more information.

Typically, patients diagnosed with OSA are prescribed a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device and facemask to wear while sleeping. While CPAP has been proven effective, many struggle to use the device regularly due to side effects that can range from mask discomfort to nasal congestion, irritation and headache. Patients who seek treatment now have a choice and are no longer limited to wearing a CPAP and mask while sleeping. Dentists are the ideal practitioners for treating snoring and sleep apnea. A large percentage of people do not know who their primary care physician is, while dentists see patients up to two times a year. Additionally, dentists are very familiar with the head, neck and airway and the concept of advancing the jaw forward to keep the airway open to prevent snoring.

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"The first night I used the TAP oral appliance I slept better than I have in 2 years. I had tried the CPAP machine, but it was more diffucult to get to sleep and throughout the night I would wake up every 45 minutes. With the TAP I was able to get to sleep more rapidly and I can't remember when I have slept so well - it was a sound sleep." RM - Kinderhook, NY

Sleep Apnea

Loud snorers may have a more serious case of blocked air passages, known as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). In these cases, the blockage of air is so great that no air can get through, causing repeated awakenings throughout the night. Obstructive sleep apnea can contribute or lead to many other conditions, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and depression, so it is important to be diagnosed by a medical professional if you experience any sleep-related symptoms.

Common Causes of Snoring

Snoring is caused by the vibrations of your soft and/or hard tissue palates; these vibrations occur because of increasingly narrow air passages. When air passes through these passages, a “flapping” sound occurs because the tissue is soft in nature. Surgery (to alleviate the snoring) is not always successful, however, because the sound may not originate from the soft palate; the snoring sometimes originates from tissues in the upper airway.

Common causes:

  • Smoking
  • Alcohol
  • Health problems
  • Obesity
  • Obstructed nasal passages – deviated septum
  • Poor muscle tone of the tongue
  • Daytime fatigue
  • Sleep apnea
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Allergies

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