It has been estimated that 60% of men and 40% of women between the ages of 40 and 60 years of age snore. Snoring occurs when there is a partial obstruction of the airway which causes the palatal tissues to vibrate. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway is completely blocked for certain periods of time. As many as 20 million people in North America may have sleep apnea.

Snoring is a social problem, particularly for the spouse, but obstructive sleep apnea poses a significant health risk for the patient in that it can lead to irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and type 2 diabetes.

1. Mild Sleep Apnea. Patient stops breathing 5-15 times per hour.
2. Moderate Sleep Apnea. Patients stop breathing 16-30 times per hour.
3. Severe Sleep Apnea. Patient stops breathing more than 30 times per hour.

1. Oral Appliance The largest number of patients with sleep apnea (obstructive sleep apnea) are in the mild to moderate categories and should be treated with oral appliances
2. CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) The CPAP device is primarily used to treat patients with severe sleep apnea.  While the CPAP device is extremely successful in eliminating sleep apnea in patients with severe sleep apnea when the device is worn, unfortunately, the failure rate is high when the patient cannot tolerate the CPAP device. Oral appliances may be used for patients who cannot tolerate the CPAP device.
3. Surgical removal of nasal or oral obstruction