Obstructive Sleep Apnea & Snoring

Obstructive sleep apnea is a debilitating, sleep-related breathing disorder defined as the cessation of breathing for 10 seconds or more (apnea is a Greek word meaning “without air”). During sleep the body’s muscles relax, causing the soft tissue of the airway to collapse, obstructing the airway. The body reacts to the closure of the airway by disrupting deep sleep enough to start breathing again, but deprives the sufferer of getting a “good night’s sleep”.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) afflicts over 40 million Americans. Untreated, OSA can lead to heart disease, strokes and excessive daytime sleepiness. Did you know that over 100,000 people are killed or injured each year (NHTSA estimate) in crashes attributed to a driver who has fallen asleep at the wheel? At least 80 million Americans snore (snoring is a sign of restricted airflow and impeded breathing during sleep), which can result in excessive day-time sleepiness, adversely affect the sleep quality of the snorer’s bed partner, and diminish the overall quality of life.

Treatment of OSA & Snoring

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine now recommends oral appliances such as EMA™ as a front line of treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, and in cases where CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) has not been tolerated. What people like about oral appliances is that they f!t entirely inside the mouth, they are portable, they do not use electricity or make noise that would bother a sleeping partner, and they allow the wearer to change sleep positions. EMA is FDA approved for the treatment of both obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.

Dr. Donald E. Frantz invented the EMA appliance (pictured at right) in 1993 to treat his own sleep apnea. EMA offers advantages not found in other oral appliances: 

• you can talk and even drink water while wearing it 
• it is completely free of meta, and the EMA elastic straps are latex free 
• you can easily change the EMA elastic straps yourself; no additional trips to the dentist needed

EMA is a trademark of Frantz Design, Inc.