753 Stillwater Avenue
Bangor, ME 04401

8 Monument Square
Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426

207-990-5887
info@jwclarkdental.com

Articles

Is Lack of Sleep Putting Your
Life In Danger?

How do you know how much you slept last night? Simple, you may say. You know what time you went to bed and what time you got up. Just do a little math and there you go. Right? Don’t be so sure. You may have been awake a good part of the night. You don’t know it, and what you don’t know might hurt you.

Chances are, if you snore, you may also have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder which can lead to serious health problems, if left untreated. What is it exactly?

The short of it is this: when you fall asleep, your airway collapses. As it collapses, you stop breathing. Your brain wakes you up very briefly. You fall back asleep and the process repeats itself all through the night. Some patients fall into shallow breathing or stop breathing altogether as much as 130 times per hour, or more!

You won’t remember anything the next morning because every time you wake up is so brief, it doesn’t register.

(Click on the photo to watch a video of an OSA patient.)

It all boils down to this: you don’t get a full night of good, restful sleep.

You probably feel drowsy or sleepy during the day, and even fall asleep at inappropriate times.

The risks are serious: think of accidents caused by falling asleep while driving. Or accidents at work, falling asleep on the job.

Left untreated, the health effects can be devastating in the
long run:

• High blood pressure
• Heart failure
• Heart arrhythmias
• Stroke

The only way to properly diagnose sleep apnea is with a sleep study. Your doctor will arrange an appointment with a sleep specialist who will refer you to a sleep center. There, a sleep technician will attach sensors to your body to monitor you in your sleep. They may also record a video of your sleeping behavior. This way, the doctor will determine your condition's severity and how to treat it.

The good news is that there are number of ways to helping you manage your sleep apnea.

The first is called a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device or CPAP. In essence, it’s a machine that forces a gentle amount of air down your throat to keep it open while you sleep. You wear a mask attached to a hose. The CPAP is considered the “gold standard” in treating sleep apnea. It’s quite effective when you use it every night.

Unfortunately, many people stop using it. Some can’t even tolerate it at all.

Excuses are many and include: cumbersome head gear, limited choice of sleeping positions, discomfort, nausea and severe claustrophobia.

Travel is another issue. The CPAP machine and its accessories take up luggage space. Flyers in particular are reluctant to take it along.

If the CPAP is not for you, your dental sleep specialist may recommend an alternative in cases of mild to moderate apnea: a Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS).

The MAS is a compact, custom-made dental appliance, which allows a high level of comfort. You may speak, drink and walk about without any restricitons. In fact, studies indicate patients prefer the MAS to a CPAP appliance when they have a choice.
The MAS is custom-fit and comfortable, requires simple maintenance, and its compact size makes it easy to take along when you travel.

As a qualified dental sleep specialist, Dr. Clark custom-fits the MAS and provides follow-up care—an important part of the therapy.

Because the MAS is a therapeutic device, it’s covered by most health insurance plans.

Call Dr. Clark at 207-990-5887. Find out how to sleep better. And smile more.

Why Do I Need to See a Dentist If My Shoulder Hurts?

Sometimes what causes your pain is not where it hurts.

How could that be? When you get a headache, your head hurts. Nothing mysterious about that, right?

True, but the facts are more complicated.

Take a look at the picture below.

See where the arrow’s pointing? That’s your jaw joint, where your jawbone meets your skull. It’s also called the temporomandibular joint. “TMJ” for short.

Two pivot points—one on each side—are the “hinges” that allow your jaw to move normally.

Your teeth, jaw joints, head muscles and neck muscles are all related. What affects one area affects the others.

Every person has an optimal jaw-alignment position, or bite, where everything works smoothly.

Unfortunately, more often than not, you may have a misaligned bite and not know it.

Your brain unconsciously “programs” your jaw’s position and you won’t feel anything unusual.

But what you may consider “normal” may keep your face muscles under tension. And tense muscles hurt. Badly.

Then you start getting headaches. Migraines, even. Or your neck hurts. Maybe your shoulders do.

And if that were not enough, there are other symptoms:

• Insomnia
• Nervousness
• Ringing in the ears
• Earaches
• Difficulty swallowing
• Clenching or grinding
• Loose teeth
• Snoring
• Bad posture
• Tingling of the fingertips

In severe cases, your balance may be affected and you’ll suffer bouts of dizziness.

It’s easy to understand why no one suspects a misaligned jaw causing all these problems (which, by the way, have a name: temporomandibular disorders —TMD, or TMJ for short). If your shoulder hurts, who suspects the jaw?

An experienced, certified neuromuscular dentist can help.

As part of a team that includes your doctor and other healthcare professionals, the neuromuscular dentist (NMD) will determine if your bite is a major factor in your painful symptoms.

The tests your dentist will performwill pinpoint where your jaw must be aligned for an optimally natural bite. A custom-fit device called an orthotic will be made. (If you’ve seen a mouthgard, you’ll get the general idea. But it’s a lot more than that.) Additional dental work may be needed to bring your jaw into position so you’ll have a naturally correct bite: where your jaw, face and neck muscles are relaxed. And pain-free.

Many patients show dramatic improvement right away—headaches are gone, pain a thing of the past. For patients with many years of chronic pain behind them, the relief is a welcome improvement in their quality of life.

Dr. Clark is a certified neuromuscular dentist trained to treat TMD. He’ll be very happy to become part of your healthcare team.

Your healthcare provider may cover your TMD treatment. We’ll help you along.

Call Dr. Clark at 207-990-5887. Let’s get you started on your way to relief.

That’s a Nice Smile, But Is It Art?

“Smile, and the world smiles with you”.

Smiles are catching—a total stranger smiles at you and it makes your day.

But when it comes to smiling back, do you hesitate?

Maybe you’re self-conscious about your teeth. And it holds you back.

If you’re not happy with how your teeth look, here’s good news: it’s easier to have a beautiful smile than ever before.

With today’s advances, you can have the smile you want. You can have a smile makeover without having to wait months on end.

Modern cosmetic dentistry has developed many ways to get you a smile you’re proud of:

• Veneers
• Bonding
• Crowns & Bridges
• Dental Implants
• Tooth Whitening
• Cosmetic Fillings

Which ones will work for you?

At the JW•Clark Dental Studio we’ll help you select the right combination of techniques that make a good match for you. What does that mean?

There is as much art as technique in designing the overall appearance of your teeth. Any properly trained dentist can perform the technical part. But it takes a skillful sense of design to build a great smile.

A great smile looks natural, as if it’s always been that way. The teeth fit just so. Their color is right for you: it blends in. It’s the right brightness. It doesn’t overwhelm your face.

Dr. Clark takes great pride on his craft of the beautiful smile. He’ll help you make choices that fit you.

Think about it: would you take less care choosing your cosmetic dentist than your hairstylist?

A bad hairstyle can be undone. A smile you’re not happy with, that’s for keeps.

Call Dr. Clark at 207-990-5887. Let’s get you the smile you’ve always wanted.

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