There is growing awareness in medicine of the need to adequately identify and manage sleep apnea, a potentially life-threatening condition. Though diagnosed by a physician, dentists can play an important role in helping patients to manage their apnea using oral appliance therapy (OAT).

Many patients who are not tolerant of their CPAP machines can be successfully treated using an oral appliance that opens the airway during sleep, improving breathing, reducing snoring and improving the apnea.  For mild to moderate levels of sleep apnea, OAT has been shown to be as successful for apnea management as CPAP, and for severe cases, the appliances can be used in conjunction with CPAP allowing the pressure of the unit to be reduced by as much as 75%.

Dr. Goodwin is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.  His training includes using the Somnodent and TAP3 oral appliances and others.  He can also provide at-home testing to evaluate the success of the appliances.

Helping patients to manage their sleep apnea is another example of the comprehensive level of care Dr. Goodwin provides; a true "Dental Fitness Center".