Sleep Apnea Dentist: Comfortable CPAP Alternatives are provided by Sleep Apnea Dentists. Dental Sleep Medicine provides Great solutions for patients who Hate CPAP. CPAP Intolerance and CPAP Failure are Major Problems of Sleep Medicine.

    /24-7PressRelease/ - GURNEE, IL, July 06, 2008 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a very dangerous and life threatening disorder that is often characterized by loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. Patients with untreated sleep apnea have a 600% increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Sleep apnea is also implicated in a six fold increase in motor vehicle accidents as well as cognitive disorders such as short term memory loss, Altzheimer's and dementia. In Children sleep apnea causes changes in brain development and it is estimated that 80% of ADHD children have sleep apnea. A Mayo Clinic study showed that the spouses of snorers lose up to 15% of their sleep which can also have advers health consequences.

The good News is that CPAP, or Continuous Positive Air Pressure is extremely effective treatment and works almost 100% of the time.

The bad news is that compliance with CPAP is very poor and studies have shown that only 23-45% of patients actually use their CPAP machines on a regular basis. Advancements in CPAP technology such as BiPAP, Ramping, APAP, Humidifiers, quieter machines and a multitude of masks have done little to increase compliance of CPAP users. Most studies show that less than half of patients prescribed CPAP continue to use it regularly. Studies have also shown that patient who do use CPAP average only 4-5 hours a night not the recommended 71/2 to 8 hours a night.

Oral appliance therapy offered by Sleep Apnea Dentists is much better tolerated by patients and treatment compliance is estimated at 90-95%. While it is not always successful, particularly in the very obese patient it is well tolerated an is an extremely successful treatment. Snoring and mild apnea to moderate apnea are almost always successful treated with appliances. More information on oral appliances can be found at http://www.ihatecpap.com

Dr Ira L Shapira a pioneer of the field. Dr Shapira has been treating sleep apnea with oral appliances for over 25 years and is the founder of I HATE CPAP LLC that is dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of sleep apnea and his website http://www.ihatecpap.com is considered to be the premiere site for information about Dental Sleep Medicine treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. Dr Ginger Price can be contacted by going to the Find a Dentist section of the I HATE CPAP! site.

Dr Shapira does not hate cpap and neither do the sleep apnea dentists around the country who offer comfortable oral appliance therapy to their patients. The name of the company evolved because that was the number one comment patients made when they were seeking alternatives to CPAP. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine now recognizes oral appliance therapy as a first line treatment choice for mild to moderate sleep apnea and as an alternative to CPAP for severe apnea when patients do not tolerate CPAP. The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine endorses the position of position of Academy of Sleep Medicine.

The National Sleep Foundation declared in SleepMatters its national Publication that "Oral Appliances are a therapy whose time has come". The American Sleep Apnea Association, the largest patient support group for patients with sleep apnea has also endorsed oral appliances as an alternative to CPAP. Also known as A.W.A.K.E. an acronym for Alert, Well, And Keeping Energetic published an article on the front page of their Fall, 2007 newsletter an article titled "Taking a Bite Out of OSA ; Oral appliances provide alternative therapy.

Patients with Sleep Apnea who are having problems or questions about their therapy will find the AWAKE group an excellent resource. Dave Hargett is the Chair of the Board of Directors and is a patient who originally formed the group. He has been happily using CPAP since his diagnosis but now recognizes the important part oral appliance therapy plays in overall treatment. The AWAKE group can be contacted at http://www.sleepapnea.org.

Recent studies emphasize the importance of CPAP Alternativesto patients who do not tolerate CPAP. Mayo Clinic cardiologist Apoor Gami, M.D., the lead researcher on the study, presented his findings at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008 in New Orleans. "Nighttime low oxygen saturation in the blood is an important complication of obstructive sleep apnea," according to Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D., the study's principal investigator. "Our data showed that an average nighttime oxygen saturation of the blood of 93 percent and lowest nighttime saturation of 78 percent strongly predicted SCD, independent of other well-established risk factors, such as high cholesterol. These findings implicate OSA, a relatively common condition, as a novel risk factor for SCD."

Another study; Int J Cardiol. 2008 Aug 18;128(2):232-9. Epub 2007 Aug 28. Showed that moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is linked to left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular dilatation or elevated natriuretic peptides in patients without overt cardiovascular disease. Significant changes in NT-pro-BNP values indicate an improvement of cardiac function following effective oral-appliance therapy.

Stroke victims who have obstructive sleep apnea die sooner than stroke victims who do not have sleep apnea or who have central sleep apnea, according to Swedish researchers, who will presented their findings at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on May 19. The results were independent of age, gender, smoking, body-mass index, hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, cognitive ability and how dependent patients were on help in their daily lives.

Cardiac disease, cardiac failure as well as increases in high blood pressure, diabetes and decreased quality of life are all associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Many studies have shown improvement with CPAP and studies are now showing similar improvements in outcomes with oral appliances. Information about oral appliance available at www.ihatecpap.com

Sleep apnea is recognized as deadly but until recently patients were offered only treatment with CPAP. This was unfortunate because while CPAP is considered the Gold Standard of treatment most patients are not able to tolerate it. Various studies have shown that only 23-45 % of patients prescribed CPAP actually tolerate it. Many patients are not offered alternatives to CPAP when they have demonstrated CPAP intolerance. Oral appliances have been shown to be a highly effective alternative to CPAP. Surgery is also an alternative to CPAP but has a relatively high morbidity and low success rate for treating sleep apnea. The surgical bi-maxillary advancement procedure is an exception that is highly successful. See the Sleep and Health Journal article comparing Oral appliances to Surgery: http://sleepandhealth.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=55&tid=22

Chicago dentist, Dr Ira Shapira is a pioneer of dental sleep medicine who formed I HATE CPAP LLC a company dedicated to promoting the dangers of sleep apnea and the role of dental sleep medicine in improving patients lives. Dr Shapira is clear in stating that he does not HATE CPAP which is still the gold standard for treatment. He formed the company and its website www.ihatecpap.com in response to what patients reported. The most common statements he heard from his patients were "i hate the mask" , "I hate The machine", "i hate CPAP!" and that was how the name came about. While some consider it provacative it resonates with patients unable to tolerate CPAP treatment. Thousands of patients who had abandoned CPAP have returned to treatment because they felt an emotional connection to the sentiment.

Most patients offered a choice between oral appliances and CPAP chose the appliances due to increased comfort and ease of use. Compliance, or patients continued use of therapy is much higher with oral appliances than CPAP.

Patients with untreated sleep apnea have a six fold increase in motor vehicle accidents and are also more prone to poor performance and accidents at work. Trucking companies have shown that screening for sleep apnea and insuring treatment have lowered insurance costs and accident rates. Short term memory loss is one of many intellectual defects associated with untreated sleep apnea. The problem is that many patients prescribed CPAP are not offered a choice and if they cannot tolerate treatment with CPAP then go without treatment.

There is an urgent need to help all patients diagnosed with sleep apnea find treatment modalities that work and that the can tolerate and use on a long-term basis. There will be a net reduction in overall medical expenses if all patients who do not tolerate CPAP are offered oral appliances as an alternative. Patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea should be offered oral appliances a a first line treatment along with CPAP according to the new parameters of care of the Academy of Sleep Medicine.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) considers sleep apnea to be a TMJ Disorder. There were two articles published in Cranio by Shimshak et al that showed a 200-300% increase across all medical fields in patients carrying a diagnosis of TMJ disorders. This is vital information for those hoping to rectify problems with our current healthcare system. Their report CARDIOVASCULAR AND SLEEP-RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS
NHLBI WORKSHOP was based on research by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) , NHLBI Division of Heart and Vascular Diseases (DHVD) and the NHLBI National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR)

The entire report can be reviewed at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/workshops/tmj_wksp.pdf

Patients interested in learning more about oral appliances used to treat obstructive sleep apnea will find information at: http://www.ihatecpap.com/oral_appliance.html

Additional information about TMJ disorders cn be found in Sleep and Health Journal at: http://sleepandhealth.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=237&tid=22 or at www.ihateheadaches.org

Organizations involved in treating sleep apnea include The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, DOSA the Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea, The American Academy of Cranifacial Pain, ICCMO the International College for CranioMandibular Orthopedics.

Sleep and Health Journal is an excellent reference for more information about sleep or Sleep Apnea. It is the largest patient oriented journal covering sleep topics. There are articles about how sleep affects general health and a host of information available ony at this site. An article comparing cpap to oral appliances and an article comparing appliances to surgery can be found at:
http://sleepandhealth.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=130&tid=22

http://sleepandhealth.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=55&tid=22

http://sleepandhealth.com/modules.php?name=News&file=topics&tid=22 has other dental sleep medicine articles

http://www.sleepandhealth.com has information on all aspects of sleep and all back issues are available free on line


Contact Dr Shapira if you live in the Chicago,Illinois or Milwaukee, Wisconsin area an want a more comfortable alternative to CPAP.

Ira L Shapira DDS FICCMO DABDSM
Gurnee, Skokie, Schaumburg, Bannockburn with additional offices in Chicago planned.


Dr Ira L Shapira is the founder of I HATE CPAP LLC. He is a Diplomate of The American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. He was a founder and credentialed member of the Sleep Disorder Dental Society which formed with 20 members 17 years ago. It has become the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine which just held its 17th annual meeting in Baltimore in June in conjunction with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr Shapira is a former assistant professor at Rush Medical School in Chicago where he did research on the relation of Jaw position to sleep apnea. His research showed similarities to the jaw position found in TMJ Disorders and Sleep Apnea. He worked there with Dr Rosalind Cartwright who was one of the founders of both sleep medicine and Dental Sleep Medicine. He is currently the Dental Section Editor of Sleep and Health Journal and the president of Delany Dental Care in Gurnee and is well known for his treatment of TMJ disorders and Sleep apnea as well as elegant cosmetic dental reconstruction. He holds several patents on the collection of stem cells utilizing minimally invasive techniques and is currently building Chicagoland Dental Sleep Medicine Associates into a practice covering the Chicago Metropolitan area.

Dr Ira L Shapira is an author and section editor of Sleep and Health, President of I HATE CPAP LLC, President Dato-TECH, and has a Dental Practice with his partner Dr Mark Amidei. He has recently formed Chicagoland Dental Sleep Medicine Associates. He is a Regent of ICCMO and its representative to the TMD Alliance, He was a founding and certified member of the Sleep Disorder Dental Society which became the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, A founding member of DOSA the Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, A Diplomat of the American Academy of Pain Management, a graduate of LVI. He is a former assistant professor at Rush Medical Schools Sleep Service where he worked with Dr Rosalind Cartwright who is a founder of Sleep Medicine and Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr Shapira is a consultant to numerous sleep centers and teaches courses in Dental Sleep Medicine in his office to doctors from around the U.S. He is the Founder of I HATE CPAP LLC and http://www.ihatecpap.com Dr Shapira also holds several patents on methods and devices for the prophylactic minimally invasive early removal of wisdom teeth and collection of bone marrow and stem cells. Dr Shapira is a licensed general dentist in Illinois and Wisconsin.

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