Dr. Lisa Mulkin of Lake Country Dental—a Geneva, NY based dental practice—has earned the ‘Qualified Dentist’ designation from the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM). Dr. Mulkin is the only dentist in the Northern Finger Lakes area to earn this designation. Mulkin adds, “Snoring and sleep apnea are the not-so-silent killers. I am proud to be one of the area’s only ‘Qualified Dentist’ from the AADSM to help our community get a good night’s sleep and improve overall health.”
The National Sleep Foundation estimates that more than 18 million American adults have sleep apnea—a common but serious disorder—where breathing is interrupted during sleep due to an obstructed airway. Sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissue in the back of the throat relaxes during sleep and blocks the airway, starving the body of oxygen and often causing a person to snore loudly. These short breathing pauses can occur hundreds of times a night and can lead to serious health risks, such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, mood and memory issues.
Dental sleep medicine is an area of dental practice that focuses on the use of oral appliance therapy to treat sleep-disordered breathing, including snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Dentists work together with sleep physicians to identify the best treatment for each patient. The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) is a professional society for dentists who help patients control snoring and obstructive sleep apnea through the use of oral appliance therapy.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, treatment results improve when you see a qualified dentist. Dr. Mulkin has earned the ‘Qualified Dentist’ designation referring to an AADSM dental provider of choice to provide oral appliance therapy as a treatment option for sleep apnea. To receive this credentialing, she successfully completed a mastery course in dental sleep medicine. Dr. Mulkin is the first dentist in the Geneva and Northern Finger Lakes area to obtain this credentialing.