Interview with Dr. Blumenstock, Sleep Apnea Dentist

Dr. Blumenstock has been working with sleep apnea patients for over 20 years. Earlier in his experience, he realized many of his dental patients had headaches. Many of these patients did not respond to TMJ treatments. Dr Blumenstock discovered that they all had one thing in common, sleep issues.

Before the 1980’s, tracheostomy was the most common cure for people with sleep apnea. This is a surgical procedure that involves cutting a hole in the lower neck to penetrate the trachea. Later, in Australia, the first CPAP machine was invented by putting a vacuum cleaner in reverse and attaching it to the face. As time progressed, another surgical treatment for sleep apnea appeared. Surgery on the soft palate was an option for people suffering from sleeplessness. This type of surgery was not successful for every case. The surgery was successful for those patients choking in a specific location. It wasn’t until oral appliances arrived that many more patients where treated successfully. Most oral appliances push the jaw and tongue forward to reduce the conditions of sleep apnea.

Today, there are many different appliances for different situations. It takes the experience of professionals like Dr. Blumenstock to know which appliance will work the best for each situation.

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