Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois is thrilled to share with our readers the succes of Beth’s husband, when he began his treatment with Oral Appliance Therapy.

Call our Naperville office to schedule your appointment to successfully treat your sleep apnea and/or snoring.

1-800-SNORING in northern Illinois or 630 369-5508

We are genuinely concerned about your health. Successful treatment of obstructed sleep apnea can reduce the risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke and metabolic disorders.

DID YOU KNOW?  Genetics and familial tendencies play a large role in the presence of these disorders.

DID YOU KNOW?  Untreated OSA patients may have negative affects on driving alertness and concentration levels. DID YOU KNOW? Other sleep disorders may predict tendencies towards diseases like Parkinson’s.

DID YOU KNOW?  Successful treatment of apnea could possibly eliminate or reduce the need of medications.

DID YOU KNOW?  A Person living with a snoring partner often exhibits similar symptoms as an untreated apnea patient.

Knowing that we can help prevent unnecessary accidents and family discord has been the driving force of growth in our oral appliance division.

~ Read the following tragic stories ~

My son’s name is Kevin O’Connor. He was fifteen years only when he died. Kevin was a very family-oriented young man and worked in our family business. ……….It was a beautiful day – not a cloud in the sky……. After he finished his Snapple he told me he was going to finish the trim work. Kevin went out back to put on his safety equipment…. That was the last I saw or talked to him alive. ……We heard this bang. My husband and I and the Fed-ex driver thought there was an accident on Route 28. We all ran to the door but could not see any cars on the highway. I looked over to our driveway and saw a body lying in the middle of the drive way. At first I could not determine who it was and then realized OH MY GOD, its KEVIN…… We learned after the accident that the driver that killed Kevin was an on-duty school bus driver that drove off the road 200 times before striking and killing Kevin. He had fallen asleep at the wheel. It was determined that he had undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea…. — Submitted by Cindy O’Connor, Kevin’s mother (National Sleep Foundation)

The morning of July 19, 1995, Timothy Douglas, a veteran commercial driver who had logged more than 1 million miles, was headed southbound on I-75 in Georgia when he fell asleep at the wheel of his 18-wheeler, rear-ending a pick-up truck carrying 14 people. Adults, children, even infants flew from the bed of the truck, littering the highway—seven people were dead. After the crash, Douglas was charged with vehicular homicide, not because he had fallen asleep, but for having faulty brakes and driving too closely. While awaiting trial, Douglas continued to struggle with his longstanding constant fatigue, his loud snoring, and his gasping for breath during sleep. The Department of Transportation doctors who had certified him as being medically fit to drive hadn’t discovered the cause, but it was the tenacity of his sister, a nurse, who insisted that another doctor that she knew search for the reason….. Finally they found the answer—as the doctor told him that he had severe obstructive sleep apnea, If only the doctors had asked a few simple questions about sleep during his Department of Transportation physical and If only one of his employers had discussed the dangers of sleep disorders.

~ For the full stories on Kevin and Timothy visit the National Sleep Foundation’s website ~

March 7-13 is National Sleep Awareness Week®
Sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation

This annual week-long health promotion campaign, sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), takes place the week leading to the return of Daylight Saving Time, when thousands of area residents will choose to lose yet another hour of much needed sleep.

Surprising Sleep Facts from the National Sleep Foundation:
•Americans of all ages don’t get enough sleep.
•70 million Americans suffer from a variety of sleep problems.
•The majority of sleep problems are undiagnosed and untreated; the sufferer is often at risk for serious health and safety problems.
•Nearly ¼ of America’s adults – 47 million people – don’t meet minimum sleep needs.
•About 60 percent of adults licensed to drive say they have driven drowsy in the past year… about 118 million people admit they have not always been alert behind the wheel.
•The total economic impact of sleep deprivation and untreated sleep disorders is believed to be over $100 billion.

Here’s how you can make Sleep changes at Home:
1.Log how many hours of sleep each of your family members is getting.
2.Cut out all electronics 1 hour before bedtime.
3.Eliminate caffeinated drinks after dinnertime.

Poor sleep is taking a toll on professional relationships, productivity, public safety and even the most intimate aspects of our lives. The impact of sleep deprivation on society is devastating in both human and economic terms. While it is impossible to calculate the total economic impact of sleep deprivation and untreated sleep disorders accurately, it is believed to be over $100 billion.

“Helping patients overcome obstacles of poor sleep has been life changing for myself and for my staff. Knowing that we are changing the quality of people’s lives by improving their sleep, relationships, and energy levels has been a wonderful experience. My passion in creating and using various public awareness tools has helped further promote OAT as an option to a wide variety of individuals!”

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois will be conducting complimentary consultations for individuals that snore and/or have been diagnosed with sleep apnea March 8-10, 2011 to help residents of our community improve the quality of their sleep, health, safety, and productivity.