Individuals with severe sleep apnea can benefit from the unique and focused expertise of VIA Health Group and our certified craniofacial sleep medicine provider, Dr. Jeff Danner. Our practice focuses specifically and exclusively on diagnosing, preventing, treating, and managing conditions that affect the airway. Our 100% dedication to dental solutions for medical problems distinguishes us from other providers in Canton and beyond greater Akron and northeast Ohio. 

Sleep Apnea Treatment and the Vivos® Method 

Sleep apnea is a form of SDB or “Sleep Disordered Breathing.” There are three different types of sleep apnea. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most common type. Individuals with OSA do not breathe continuously when sleeping. There are interruptions or cessations in their breathing. These interruptions are caused by airway obstruction when the tongue and other tissues block the throat. OSA may be “graded” by severity based on the number of apnea or hypopnea episodes per hour. Apnea refers to breathing that stops entirely, while hypopnea is a reference to a partial airway blockage. 

Individuals with mild sleep apnea generally experience 5-15 of these events hourly, while those with moderate and severe apnea experience between 15 and 30 and 30-plus episodes each hour, respectively. 

Due to the nature of untreated OSA, individuals with this condition are at increased risk of developing several serious health complications. Since they do not get quality rest, these patients are chronically fatigued. They are more likely to get hurt on the job or on the road. Due to persistent exhaustion, individuals with untreated sleep apnea are vulnerable to mood disorders and memory and cognitive impairment. Furthermore, considerable stress is placed on the body due to the lack of oxygenation during apnea and hypopnea. 

Without treatment, OSA sufferers are at risk of:

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Depression 
• Anxiety
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Type 2 Diabetes 
• Hypertension
• Stroke 
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Heart Attack 
• Daytime Fatigue Or Drowsiness
• Cognitive Challenges

As a dentist trained in the Vivos® method, Dr. Danner gets to the heart of OSA. Unlike other dental solutions for sleep apnea, the Vivos® method includes FDA-approved custom oral appliances which actually alter the oral tissues and structures responsible for the dentofacial abnormalities that lead to OSA. In turn, Vivos® devices resolve the underlying problem. Other mandibular advancement devices or forms of oral appliance therapy merely reposition the jaw and depress the tongue, and require a lifetime commitment to use.  

With the Vivos® range of devices, we can expand and reshape the mouth. We can also gradually shift the position of the jaw and expand the palate (or roof of the mouth). Accordingly, we correct the problems at the root of airway blockages and breathing interruptions; notably, underdeveloped mouths and jaws. 

Our patients at VIA Health Group love how they get actual results from treatment. After an average of 18 months, they no longer have to wear their appliance. The appliance has done its job. With a bigger airway, patients sleep and breathe soundly and continuously through the night – and they do that on their own, without the assistance of a device. 

Turn to the experts in dental solutions for airway and medical problems. Our office in Canton, OH, can be reached at (330) 915-3390.