What is Sleep Therapy?
Sleep therapy is a treatment designed to help patients suffering from sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea and chronic snoring. This therapy uses custom-made oral appliances that gently reposition the jaw and tongue to keep the airway open during sleep. By improving airflow, these devices reduce interruptions in breathing, leading to more restful and restorative sleep. Sleep therapy not only enhances overall sleep quality but also supports better daytime alertness, mood, and long-term health. The treatment is non-invasive, comfortable, and personalized to fit each patient’s unique anatomy, ensuring ease of use and effectiveness.
A thorough evaluation is performed to identify sleep-related issues, often including collaboration with medical sleep specialists. Patients receive guidance on how to use and care for their oral appliances, along with ongoing monitoring to optimize treatment success. Sleep therapy offers a convenient, discreet, and practical alternative to traditional CPAP machines, making it an excellent option for those seeking improved sleep without bulky equipment or discomfort.
Why Trust Lilly Family Dentistry?
Our experienced team combines dental expertise with advanced training in sleep therapy to deliver personalized and compassionate care. We start with a thorough assessment that includes a detailed review of your medical history, sleep habits, and potential risk factors. This comprehensive approach allows us to develop a treatment plan tailored specifically to your unique needs and lifestyle. Throughout your therapy, we maintain clear communication so you understand each step and feel confident and comfortable with your care.
Patient education and ongoing follow-up are top priorities to ensure the best possible outcomes. By integrating the latest technology and working closely with sleep medicine specialists, we provide safe, effective, and evidence-based solutions for sleep-related issues. Our commitment to continuous education means our team stays current with advancements in sleep therapy, allowing us to offer innovative treatments. Our ultimate goal is to improve your sleep quality and overall well-being while building lasting relationships founded on trust, empathy, and positive results.
Benefits of Sleep Therapy
- Improves Sleep Quality
Custom oral appliances reduce airway blockages, enabling uninterrupted breathing during sleep for deeper, more refreshing rest and increased daytime energy. - Enhances Overall Health
By minimizing sleep apnea symptoms, therapy lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and other serious health problems linked to poor sleep.
Comfortable and Convenient
Designed for a personalized fit, sleep therapy devices offer a gentle, easy-to-use alternative to bulky CPAP machines, improving patient compliance and satisfaction.
"According to new studies, patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could be at increased risk of adverse outcomes from COVID-19, including death. Although CPAP is commonly the first-line therapy to treat sleep apnea, the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) recently published a position statement declaring that Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) is an appropriate first-line therapy to treat sleep apnea without increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19." For more information visit https://aadsm.org.
Meet Your Sleep Therapy Doctors
The doctors do most of their sleep therapy out of our Onawa & Sioux City offices. Patients with loud snoring and diagnosed sleep apnea sufferers with difficulty tolerating CPAP should contact the office to schedule a consultation appointment. Both dentists also travel to see dental sleep patients in the surrounding area. Please reach out to learn more about our Sleep Therapy Services!
Sheila Duarte, DDS
Sheila Duarte, DDS graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Duarte is a diplomate with the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) and a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), the only non-profit professional association dedicated exclusively to the practice of dental sleep medicine. Dr. Duarte helps treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy, an effective treatment that is covered by most insurance plans.
AADSM membership provides Dr. Duarte with access to educational resources and practice management tools that help her better serve her patients by providing the highest quality of care in the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Earning Diplomate status from the ABDSM is a unique honor that recognizes special competency in dental sleep medicine. For more information about AADSM, visit www.aadsm.org.
Soni Gelinne, DDS
Soni Gelinne, DDS graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to concerts, and running.
Dr. Gelinne is a diplomate with the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) and a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), the only non-profit professional association dedicated exclusively to the practice of dental sleep medicine. Dr. Gelinne helps treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy, an effective treatment that is covered by most insurance plans.
AADSM membership provides Dr. Gelinne with access to educational resources and practice management tools that help her better serve her patients by providing the highest quality of care in the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Earning Diplomate status from the ABDSM is a unique honor that recognizes special competency in dental sleep medicine. For more information about AADSM, visit www.aadsm.org.
Oral Appliance Therapy
If you are intolerant of your CPAP, Dr. Duarte and Dr. Gelinne can help! Oral appliance therapy is an effective, non-invasive treatment option for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea that fits easily into your lifestyle. A dental oral appliance looks like a sports mouthguard and is worn only during sleep. It supports the jaw in a forward position to help maintain an open upper airway, preventing sleep apnea and snoring.
Once you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea by a sleep physician, a dentist experienced in dental sleep medicine can make a custom-fitted oral appliance using impressions and models of your teeth. Oral appliance therapy is covered by many medical insurance plans. Patients like it because it's comfortable, easy to wear, quiet, portable, convenient for travel and easy to clean.
Treating snoring or sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy can help you feel like a new person. You will find that your symptoms, and your quality of life, can improve dramatically when you remain committed to your treatment and use it nightly. Custom-fit oral appliances from Lilly Family Dentistry can improve your sleep, restore your alertness and revitalize your health.
Patients like oral appliance therapy because it is comfortable, easy to wear, quiet, portable and easy to care for. Oral appliance therapy is an effective treatment option that offers a higher rate of patient compliance than CPAP. We work with our patients, and their sleep physicians, to identify the right oral appliance design, then custom fit appliances to each patient and make any needed adjustments to ensure an open airway and a more restful sleep.
If you have concerns about snoring and sleep apnea, it may be time to make an appointment. If you suspect you may have sleep apnea, our doctors can recommend a sleep physician to help get you started on your path to treatment. If you have already been diagnosed with sleep apnea, we can fit you with an oral appliance. Our team at Lilly Family Dentistry is ready to answer your questions about obstructive sleep apnea, dental sleep medicine and oral appliance therapy
About the ABDSM and AADSM
The American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) is the only non-profit testing organization dedicated exclusively to the practice of dental sleep medicine. The ABDSM tests knowledge and clinical proficiency in dental sleep medicine and designates those who meet its requirements as Diplomates. The ABDSM is associated with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) which is the only non-profit national professional society focused exclusively on dental sleep medicine. The AADSM provides educational resources for dentists and promotes the use of oral appliance therapy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing. Established in 1991, the AADSM has more than 3,000 member dentists worldwide. Visit www.abdsm.org for information on the ABDSM and visit www.aadsm.org for information on the AADSM.
