Dr. DuHamel has been treating sleep apnea with oral appliances for over 25 year and became credentialed as a Diplomat of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine in 2006.  Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is now approved as first line treatment for mild and moderate sleep apnea.  OAT is also approved for the treatment of severe sleep apnea when patients cannot tolerate CPAP therapy.

Sleep apnea is caused by obstruction of the throat and nasal passages, weight gain, and the loss of muscle tonicity with age.  Fifty percent of males over the age of 60 have sleep apnea.

Symptoms may include:

• Snoring
• High blood pressure
• Fatigue
• Diabetes
• Headaches
• Heart Disease
• Dry Mouth
• Stroke
• Gastric reflux

Sleep apnea can only be diagnosed by a physician with a sleep test.  Our office is trained to screen for sleep apnea and make referrals for diagnosis.  We have long term direct relationships with most of the sleep centers in the central valley.  Besides treating sleep apnea in our Valley Springs office Dr. DuHamel treats sleep apnea in Modesto and Lodi several days a month at our Sleep Dental Services offices.  We are in network with most major insurance companies.