How many times do you roll over during the night? How often do you wake up during the night? How long do you stay awake before you go back to sleep? Do you clench your teeth at night? Are you getting enough oxygen while you sleep? What is the total number of hours/minutes you sleep? How long are you in the “dream stage” of sleep? Would you benefit from sleep apnea treatment?
Some of this might be of some interest to the “fact-finders” amongst us. But you might wonder why someone would accumulate this kind of data in the first place. If your job depended on being able to provide your employer this kind of information, would it then seem pretty important to you?
In a recent case treated in our office, a patient works with heavy equipment. Her license was about to expire and before it could be renewed, her employer wanted to know that her sleep apnea was being successfully treated and she would not be at risk behind the wheel. Under a physician’s care, we provided her with an oral appliance for treatment. Since MoreSMILES Dental is a provider of the first and only compliance recording technology, we were able to provide objective data to prove she was sleeping better. License renewed; she keeps her job.
Because Safer Driving Saves Lives
Because sleep disorders are so prevalent today, awareness of the effects on job performance is at an all time high. There are numerous statistics available at the touch of a mouse regarding accidents caused by drowsy driving and falling asleep at the wheel.* For truck drivers, train conductors, boat captains, or our patient mentioned above, a diagnosis of sleep apnea can result in high personal and economic costs.
Multi-million dollar settlements have been awarded to families of crash victims as a result of lawsuits filed against individuals and businesses whose employees were involved in drowsy driving crashes. As in the case above, businesses may make future employment contingent upon objective proof of effective treatment of a sleep disorder.
Compliance Provides Peace of Mind
Once you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, an effective form of treatment may require you to wear an oral appliance at night to open your airways and allow a good night’s sleep. Employers not only want to know of the change in your medical history, but it’s important for them to know that you are being compliant. Physicians, too, are obviously very interested in your compliance as well.
The compliance recorder is a solution that can keep everybody happy…and safe!
After being fitted with an oral appliance imbedded with the thermal sensor, you can bring the appliance to our office to upload the patient data into a HIPAA-secure Cloud. A report is generated with all of the details regarding your sleep habits and duration.
You probably already know subjectively that the appliance is helping. That’s because you feel better during the day. You know you’re sleeping longer. You’re not drowsy while sitting at a stoplight. And you wake up easier in the morning and feel fresh throughout the entire day. But now employers and physicians alike can access objective data for ensured safety, peace of mind and to track effectiveness of treatment.
Through sleep we
llness programs and monitoring, employers can realize cost savings and productivity gains for the company through improved health of their employees. And the employees (and all successfully treated sleep patients) can experience a better quality of life and reasonable expectation of prolonged lifespan.
MoreSMILES Dental, is a general dentistry practice in the metro New Orleans area. Dr. James Moreau is a Qualified Dentist with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and works with your physician for safe and effective treatment with oral appliance therapy. Call (985) 809-7645 for a consult.