Jeff Deminski Was Surprised to Learn About This Easy Sleep Apnea Treatment — No CPAP Required!
I visited Federici Dental in Manahawkin recently and was amazed on so many levels. First of all, when it comes to general and cosmetic dentistry, they do it all, right up to oral surgery with sedation (should you ever need it) and implants. No need to send you to any other office.
For now, though, I want to focus on one very special thing that happens in this wonderful office that I didn’t even know was a possibility. They very successfully treat sleep apnea with an oral appliance (think along the lines of a sports mouthguard or a retainer) and can free people from CPAP. In fact, it can be a first-line treatment for those with mild or moderate sleep apnea and a second option for those with severe sleep apnea who cannot tolerate a CPAP.
If you’ve ever tried sleeping next to someone using a CPAP machine, you know the sound. It’s somewhere between a Darth Vader audition and a shop-vac that refuses to quit.
For people with sleep apnea, though, that noisy mask isn’t a joke. It’s often prescribed because untreated sleep apnea is serious stuff — linked to heart problems, high blood pressure, and persistent exhaustion no matter how much you sleep. A lot of people can't find a good fit on a CPAP mask or can't handle the machine in general, so they just give up, thinking there’s no other choice.
That’s why it was interesting talking with the team at Federici Dental about another option many people don’t even realize exists: oral appliance therapy.
Instead of a mask and hose, many patients can be treated with a custom-fit dental device that gently repositions the jaw to help keep airways open during sleep. Again, think of it more like a sports mouthguard than a medical device. No noise. No straps. No fighting with tubing at 2 a.m.
In fact, Dr. Dave Federici uses more than 10 types of FDA- and Medicare-approved appliances to find the one that works best for your severity of sleep apnea and your anatomy.
Dr. Federici isn’t just someone who offers this treatment. He’s among a small number of dentists nationwide to reach Diplomate status with the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, considered the gold standard in this field. It’s the kind of credential sleep physicians respect because it demonstrates advanced training specifically in treating obstructive sleep apnea with oral appliances.
He also teaches other dentists around the country how to bring this treatment into their own practices.
What I also appreciated is how they approach this as part of a bigger medical picture. Oral appliance therapy isn’t for everyone, and they work alongside a range of physicians, including primary care providers, sleep specialists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, ENTs, OB-GYNs, and even pediatricians, to make sure patients receive proper testing and a treatment plan that fits their needs. They also work with a medical biller to maximize your medical insurance coverage for the oral appliance AND can accept Medicare as well.
Full disclosure: This topic hits close to home for me. I’ve started wondering if I might have sleep apnea myself. Like a lot of people, I’ve caught myself feeling more tired than I probably should be, and let’s just say the possibility has been on my radar.
I’ve actually started the process of getting a sleep study done, and Dr. Federici’s office has been so helpful in not only guiding me in how to get one but also explaining what the next steps could look like if treatment is needed.
I’ll let you know what the outcome is when I learn more. In the meantime, if you or someone you know has sleep apnea or suspects it, you need to get in touch with Federici Dental. This could not only change your life, it might just save it.
Get started today at federicidental.com or by calling 609-597-1234.
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