More Smiles Dental Spa Dentistry Blog | James A. Moreau, Jr., D.D.S.

Our home sleep recorder can be used by our patients to evaluate their risk for sleep apnea. In fact, the Watermark Medical device is called A.R.E.S. for Apnea Risk Evaluation System.

A.R.E.S. is an FDA-approved, wireless device that is worn comfortably around the head and rests fairly flat against the forehead so it's easy to sleep in your natural sleeping positions. The A.R.E.S. is also used at home in your own bed rather than in a clinical sleep lab with a sleep technician monitoring your sleep patterns through the night. The sleep study, or polysomnogram, may also be covered by your insurance plan.

A.R.E.S. records nocturnal data such as snoring levels, head movement and head positions, airflow, respiratory effort, blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate. The data is uploaded in our office and interpreted by a qualified sleep technician with a full written report that can be shared with your physician.

A sleep study provides the information needed for Dr. Moreau to prescribe and provide you with the oral appliance that will most likely cure snoring and sleep apnea by either holding the tongue or positioning the jaw forward to allow better airflow.

Untreated sleep breathing disorders are known to cause major medical conditions that can be life threatening. When diagnosed by a physician, the common treatment is a CPAP machine worn at night. More than half of all CPAP patients are mask-intolerant, claustrophobic, or find the CPAP to be intrusive on their sleep patterns. A properly fitted, custom oral appliance can be an effective alternative to the CPAP or even a primary cure for mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea.

Call us to request a free sleep apnea/snoring exam and evaluation. 985-809-7645.

Labels: polysomnogram, sleep apnea, sleep study, snoring

Here's the list of food items we need for "Buckets of Hope" being sent to Haiti:
2 - 5-lb. bags long grain enriched rice
1 - 48-oz. plastic bottle cooking oil
2 - 2-lb. bags dry black beans (or red beans)
1 - 5-lb. bag of all purpose flour (not self-rising)
1 - 20-oz. cylinder container of granulated white sugar (coffee service size)
2 - 1-lb. boxes spaghetti noodles
1 - 40-oz. plastic jar smooth peanut butter
1 - white kitchen trash-can size plastic bag (to wrap bottle of cooking oil)

Deadline to drop off at our office is March 4th.

Do you snore? Obstructive sleep apnea affects millions of Americans and can lead to hypertension, heart attack, stroke, depression, muscle pain, fibromyalgia, morning headaches, sexual dysfunction and excessive daytime sleepiness.

This potentially life threatening condition is often treated with CPAP. Unfortunately, more than half the people prescribed CPAP cannot tolerate the device and don't use it. Our office offers a different solution. Custom oral appliances can be a more comfortable, less intrusive way to keep your airway open during sleep, eliminate snoring and help everyone get a better, healthier night's sleep.

And we have a more convenient way to do appropriate sleep studys to diagnose and monitor the condition. Typically, for a sleep study (polysomnograph), the patient is required to spend the night at a sleep lab, wearing electrodes that allow a sleep technician to observe and monitor sleep patterns throughout the night. With our ARES polysomnograph, you can have the sleep study done while you're in your normal sleep environment at home. The device is worn on your forehead so it doesn't impede your ability to sleep comfortably. It collects date which is later uploaded and read by a qualified sleep technician or physician.

With this date, Dr. Moreau can determine if an oral device is appropriate and what kind of device will provide the most relief. If you or someone you love snores or stops breathing during the night, call our office and lets get started while your condition can still be brought under control.

Before and after pictures of a case in progress. The photos at right are actually the provisional (temporary) restorations prior to final porcelain veneers. The photos were taken on the same day. Patient arrived for the prep appointment and a couple of hours later left with these very nice temporaries to wear until the finals are completed at one of the finest labs in the country.

I'm looking at sedation dentistry in a whole new light after having my first colonoscopy last week. And I'm thinking it may be in my future.

I've always had some apprehension about dental visits since I had extensive dental work as a child back in the "mid-century". It was a bit ironic that I ended up marrying a dentist since my entire family knew about my dental history. But, in my adult dental life, I've always done very well since I obviously trust my dentist implicitly and he does have a gentle touch and lots of compassion.

But since the colonoscopy went so well, I may very well opt for oral sedation for my next dental visit simply because it's an option and would allow me to sleep through the appointment and have no memory of the procedures. I expected to feel some discomfort during the colonoscopy and have some level of awareness through the procedure, but I can happily report that I knew nothing, remember nothing between the time the medicine was added to my IV and when I was waking up to catch my ride home.

While not exactly the same medicine and delivery method as the colonoscopy, what could be easier than taking a pill orally, getting a nice nap and waking up with dental work completed??
-Julie

What an amazing post-season we all had with the Saints! Game after game after game, that team found a way to win and continue this amazing journey and their love affair with the people of the city of New Orleans and the entire Who Dat Nation.

Our PPM mouthguard players all had sensational performances. And did you see that Tracy Porter interception returned for a touchdown?! Even more incredible is that he had done the same thing in the NFC championship game against the Vikings. Here's a link to an interview with Tracy on ESPN's "Mike and Mike" show today where he talks about how his PPM mouthguard helped him excel:

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=4923403&autoplay=1&c

And, BTW, it's very gratifying to see headache and TMJ sufferers finding out through the PPM publicity that neuromuscular dentistry may be able to help them as well. It's the same technology.

When we built our building in 2000, we and our architect chose the fleur de lis emblem as a motif consistent throughout the building design. It's embedded in the brick columns at the front door, it's inlaid in wood trim at the reception desk and even imprinted on napkins at the coffee and juice bar. At the time, people may have thought it odd that we would latch on to the symbol of the Saints in such an overt way, and some even commented questioningly, "You must really be big Saints fans."