If you are struggling with snoring and are seeking treatment in Minot and the surrounding North Dakota area, consider calling Broadway Family Dentistry for Nightlase™ treatment! Dr. Jensen and Dr. Hirst, and the talented staff of Broadway Family Dentistry, can give you the diagnostic and treatment expertise you have been seeking! Call 701-839-1299 today to schedule your consultation!
Why is Snoring a Problem?
Anyone who has tried to sleep near someone who snores understands how snoring can strain relationships. What many people don’t realize is that snoring does not just affect the bed partner, but can cause physical problems like hypertension, sleepiness or fatigue, morning headaches, impotence, depression, stroke and heart attacks.
What Can Be Done to Help Reduce Snoring?
Besides losing weight (if overweight), it is important to avoid alcohol or heavy large meals before bedtime. Energy drinks or highly caffeinated beverages can also contribute to snoring problems and should be avoided. For some people with nasal snoring, OTC items like breath-rite strips can be helpful also.
What is the Nightlase™ Snoring Treatment?
Nightlase™ is a fast, non-invasive way to increase patient’s quality of sleep by decreasing the frequency and intensity of snoring with superficial Er: YAG laser light. It reduces the intensity of snoring with gentle pulses of light energy without any needles, anesthesia or chemicals.
The technique can also be used as an adjunctive treatment with either the CPAP machine or oral devices for the treatment of sleep apnea. It offers a great alternative to those that cannot tolerate the CPAP or other common treatments. This technique has been utilized with great success in Europe for many years, and it is now being offered in the United States.
Who is an Ideal Candidate for Nightlase™ Treatment?
There are millions of snorers in the U.S. Statistics are hard to precisely quantify, but it’s estimated that 90 million people snore and about 37 million do so on a regular basis (without temporary causes such as congestion). This is a problem both for the snorer and for the person trying to sleep next to them.
Basically, any one of these perpetual snorers is a great candidate for Nightlase treatment with Dr. Jensen and Dr. Hirst at Broadway.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, you’re definitely a candidate as this interruption of sleep has many health concerns beyond simple snoring.
What Are the Benefits of Nightlase™ Treatment?
What’s the benefit of a good night’s sleep, not only for the patient but for their partner? Nightlase™ treatments at Broadway Family Dentistry can make up to a 50 percent improvement in snoring. The tissue tightening provided by Nightlase™ lasts from 12 to 24 months, and when the tissues begin to relax again another non-invasive treatment can continue the reduction in snoring.
Does Nightlase™ Also Eliminate Sleep Apnea?
Snoring is a common symptom with virtually every sleep apnea patient, but Nightlase™ treatment doesn’t ensure it stops a person’s sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is the actual interruption in airflow at the back of the throat. When the airflow is cut off by sagging tissues or improper jaw alignment, the brain senses the decrease in oxygen, and it awakens the person. In most cases, the interruption in sleep is fleeting, so fleeting that the person has no recollection of it the next day. But this can occur dozens of times per hour throughout the night. The result is poor sleep quality, elevated blood pressure, daytime drowsiness, inability to focus, and other problems. While Nightlase™ treatment will likely improve airflow, it’s it cannot cure sleep apnea. Recent studies have shown that it can reduce and improve sleep apnea for many patients.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, we can treat you with Nightlase™, but we would also recommend use of either CPAP or oral appliance for management of the sleep apnea.
Patient Testimonial
"Heidi did an awesome job cleaning my teeth. She was very gentle and thorough. The dentist was great and spent a lot of time discussing my overall health and ways they could help improve my sleep apnea. Thank you both for a job well done!"
How Safe is the Nightlase™ Treatment?
Nightlase uses non-invasive, safe, Erbium:YAG laser energy delivered into the sagging tissues at the back of the throat. This energy creates the tissue tightening that is the basis of many facial cosmetic skin treatments. The heating from the laser energy triggers the body to create new supplies of collagen and elastin, and this increase tightens loose skin. In the case of Nightlase™, the energy is tightening the tissues that are impeding airflow and causing snoring.
There are no incisions, no chemicals, no anesthesia. These are safe, effective, simple treatments at Broadway Family Dentistry.
How Can Nightlase™ Prevent Snoring?
Nightlase™ works as the laser light energy gently heat the tissue, causing tightening and toning of the soft tissues. This tightening and toning reduce the intensity of snoring and opens the airway allowing easier breathing. The procedures is performed in three separate sessions over 9 weeks with the results lasting up to a year.
When loved ones notice the tissue relaxing again and snoring becoming more frequent, another session of treatment can usually be performed to continue the restful sleep.
Does It Hurt?
Nightlase™ is virtually painless during and after the procedure. During the procedure, patients usually experience the feeling of heat on the area. This heat is desirable because it means the laser energy is working. There is no downtime after the procedure and normal activities resume immediate without restrictions. Patients’ families often noticed a difference right away in their snoring, though best results are evident after all three sessions.
Will There Be a Recovery Period After My Nightlase™ Treatments?
Some patients have reported having a dry throat and mouth for a day or so after their treatments. But this can be remedied beforehand by staying hydrated before and after your Nightlase™ treatments at Broadway Family Dentistry.
Otherwise, there isn’t any recovery time. You can eat whatever you please and return to work or your normal activities as soon as you leave our office on Broadway in Minot.
How Do I Prepare for Nightlase™ Treatments?
There isn’t any preparation necessary. As mentioned above, it’s helpful to stay thoroughly hydrated both before and after your Nightlase™ treatments.
Schedule Your Nightlase™ Snoring Consultation in Minot, ND!
We are very excited to be the first dentist in North Dakota that is qualified to provide Nightlase™ in its office. Please contact our office at 701-839-1299 for a consultation to find out whether you might be a good candidate for this snoring treatment in Minot, ND serving patients from Williston, Garrison, New Town, Rugby, Bismark and Devils Lake, ND.