Babylon Dental Care, a dental office serving the South Shore of Long Island for over 38 years, is proud to announce the transition from one of its hygienists to the position of sleep director of its sleep apnea practice.
michelle sands has been part of the Babylon Dental Care team for over ten years. She was instrumental in training many members of their hygiene team and was previously the Hygiene team leader. She has always been a source of direction and inspiration to her team, helping them determine treatment options and serving their patients to the best of their abilities.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on our daily lives and sparked renewed interest in how we sleep. Stuck in quarantine, many of us have revisited our health and how our sleep is linked to it. The so-called ‘pandemic insomnia’ has become a hot topic and when people looked into the potential causes, they discovered that sleep apnea is common, often undiagnosed and can have a serious impact on your overall health.
Last summer, Philips Respironics recalled many of its CPAP devices used to treat patients with sleep apnea, leaving those people with no way to treat their condition. These two factors have led many people to explore the benefits of an oral sleep device, the device that Babylon Dental Care has provided for years.
“Our sleep practice has always served many patients, but since the pandemic and the recall, we’ve seen a drastic increase in phone calls and requests for new appointments,” Michelle said.
In April 2021, Michelle received serious news in her own life and was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. “My whole life was turned upside down the day I found out about my cancer,” Michelle said.
Michelle realized that it was necessary to step away from her practical career as a hygienist. Fortunately, the increased need for our sleep apnea practice has made this the perfect time to make the transition. Michelle has worked with our sleep apnea patients for many years and finds great satisfaction in helping our patients feel better.
“Our patients arrive exhausted. Their partners can’t sleep with them because of how loud they snore, many have problems at work because they fell asleep at their desks, and I’ve even had patients tell me that they had fallen asleep while driving. They are at their wit’s end. »
Obstructive sleep apnea causes the patient to stop breathing several times during the night and prevents them from having a deep and restful sleep. Even if they seem to sleep for 8 hours or more, they wake up tired and irritated.
The “gold standard” of treatment for patients with sleep apnea is generally considered to be the CPAP machine, which is a mask that covers the patient’s face and forces oxygen into their lungs. When a patient is diagnosed with sleep apnea, they are almost always prescribed a CPAP machine, but it is not a solution that works for everyone.
CPAP machines are noisy, bulky, require electricity, and can be difficult to clean. Many patients are intolerant to CPAP and quickly refuse to use their CPAP devices, which often means their sleep apnea goes untreated.
Michelle is proud to serve our patients with an alternative to the CPAP machine.
“My patients arrive miserable, they hate their CPAP machines and they are in pain. The machine blows on their face and makes them uncomfortable, and many patients suffer from sinus infections as a side effect of the machine,” Michelle said. “Our oral sleep device requires no electricity and can fit in your pocket. Rather than forcing air into your mouth, the oral sleep device gently opens your jaws to clear the obstruction in your throat that is causing you prevents breathing and is no more invasive than a mouth guard.
Many of our patients also come to wonder why they can’t get restful sleep. Our sleep apnea practice is fully equipped to diagnose the condition as well as treat it. Not sure if you should see a doctor?
If you’re still tired and know you’ve slept 8 hours or more, it’s time to consider a sleep test.
Michelle is excited to focus on our sleep apnea practice and continue to help our patients feel rested and energized. “It may seem like a big change, but to me it’s not. It looks like a natural event. I’m still doing what I love, just transitioning to another side.
About Babylon Dental Care and Silent Night Therapy
Babylon Dental Care serves the Long Island community with excellent dental care since 1983 with locations in Western Babylon (Highway 785 W Montauk, West Babylon, NY 11704) and patchogue (499 Sunrise Hwy, Ste. 13B, patchogue, New York 11772). Visit us online at www.babylondentalcare.com and call us at (631) 587-7373.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) and the Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorder Disciplines, Dr. Brown launched Silent Night Therapy to better help patients with sleep apnea.
Visit our website at www.sleepbeterny.com and call 631-983-2463 for an appointment.
FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay.
