Sleep Apnea and Bruxism; Are They Related? The dentist’s role in the screening, evaluation and management of obstructive sleep apnea.

This course includes a live demonstration.

Instructor: Jamison R. Spencer, DMD, MS

Dr. Jamison Spencer is the director of the Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ in Boise, Idaho, and the Director of Dental Sleep Medicine for Lane and Associates Family Dentistry, a group practice with 30 locations, in North Carolina.  He is a Past President of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP), a Diplomate of the American Board of Craniofacial Pain, a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and has a Masters in Craniofacial Pain from Tufts University.  He developed and taught a cadaver based head and neck anatomy program at Boise State University. Dr. Spencer is a founding faculty member of both the AACP’s Craniofacial Pain Mini-Residency and the AACP/Tufts Dental Sleep Medicine Mini-Residency program. He is also the inventor of the Silent Sleep oral appliance, FDA approved for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea.  Dr. Spencer has lectured across the United States, in Latin America, Australia, Europe, Eastern Europe and India.

Overview:

Millions of people have problems with snoring and sleep apnea.  The treatment of snoring and sleep apnea using oral appliances has exploded in the past few years.  As more and more patients are diagnosed with sleep apnea, and with the high rate of patient non-compliance on Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral appliance therapy will become an extremely popular treatment option.  Dentists are not only uniquely qualified to provide the necessary dental treatment for this life threatening disorder, but are also uniquely positioned to screen and refer our own patients for sleep apnea diagnosis.

This lecture includes the basics of normal sleep, snoring and sleep apnea in adults and children, and the dental professional’s role in screening, referral and treatment of snoring and sleep apnea using oral appliances alone and in conjunction with CPAP as part of a multi-disciplinary team.  Unlike many manufacturer based lectures, Dr. Spencer will review many of the most popular oral appliances and discuss pros and cons of each.

For decades we have blamed grinding and clenching of the teeth on 1. Stress and 2. Malocclusion.  While certainly emotional stress and occlusal factors can play a role in the etiology of bruxism, it is becoming clear that in some patients obstructive airway issues are the major driving factor.

In this inter-active presentation Dr. Spencer takes the audience on an evidence based journey, and makes a strong case that the so called “parafunction” that wreaks havoc on our patient’s teeth and on our best restorations may actually be “protective” in nature.  This understanding will help with the diagnosis and actual treatment of the underlying etiology of bruxism.

With the case made that clenching and grinding may be the brain’s way to protect itself from suffocation, the lecture will then focus on how to protect the patient, protect their teeth, protect their restorations and protect the dentist’s practice.

Live demonstrations of bite registrations for fabrication of a sleep appliance, fitting of a temporary appliance, and fitting of a “morning repositioner” will be provided.

Course objectives:  

At the end of the course, you will be better able to:

• Understand the basics of normal sleep
• Understand the basics of sleep apnea and how to screen for possible sleep apnea in their patients
• Recognize the differences and pros and cons of various oral appliances
• Recognize the possible connection between obstructive sleep apnea and bruxism in some of their patients

Recommended for: General dentists, specialists and hygienists

Testimonials:

“Excellent presenter. Did justice to the subject, kept the audience totally engaged right till the last minute. Well done!” – Dr. Noeen Arshad, October 2016

“The speaker is fantastic and the materials are all up to date, and he explains very well the concepts behind.” – Dr. Wilson Hsin, October 2016

“The speaker, Dr. Jamison, was fantastic. He has tremendous knowledge of the material and his presentation was excellent. Also, he provided many outside sources for more information.” – Participant, August 2015

“Excellent course, BU staff was friendly, attentive, and extremely helpful.” – Participant, August 2015

“Course was excellent and instructor was entertaining, did very well to cover all topics in a single day course.” – Participant, August 2015

Additional Information: Breakfast, lunch and free parking will be provided.

Register now.