In this interesting podcast, John Tucker, DMD, the founder of Tucker Educational Excellence LLC (tuckereducationalexcellence.com), provides a thorough overview of the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, and the promotion of sleep medicine education.

For more than ten years John Tucker has treated patients and provided valuable education opportunities for dentists. Tucker Educational Excellence is intently focused on dental sleep medicine practices. Tucker describes their mission and goals, and relates that they actively pursue patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and for whom traditional CPAP therapy is not an option or has failed.

CPAP, which is short for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, provides constant airway pressure to the throat to keep the airway open when sleeping. CPAP is a method of treatment for those who are experiencing a stoppage of breathing during their sleep cycle. Without treatment, some apnea sufferers may go up to a minute and a half without breathing, which is not good for one’s health. Tucker discusses obstructive sleep apnea’s link to major health problems from GERD to diabetes and more, even sexual dysfunction. And unfortunately, as he states many people are undiagnosed currently.

Tucker provides some detailed information on his practice and explains what they look for, to assess sleep apnea and airway-related issues. He gives an overview of some of the areas they observe and what they focus on, including high-vaulted palate, as well as gum and tongue issues.

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