Some medications, including over-the-counter sleeping pills and antidepressants can also increase sleepwalking. If people who have a history of sleepwalking take these medications it can bring on a sleepwalking event.

Study author Dr. Maurice Ohayon of Stanford Sleep Epidemiology Research Center said “I would like to correct the impression that this phenomenon is rare. This is a huge number of people.”

People who wander at night at least once during a year are likely to have a family history of the problem. The nocturnal ramblings also disturb the sleep of family members. This is how most people find out they sleepwalk, a family member tells them about it.

Many sleep disorders disturb the sleep of family members including obstructive sleep apnea. The loud snoring and gasping noises often wake people in nearby bedrooms to say nothing of the poor, suffering bed partner. This is how most sleep apnea sufferers seek diagnosis and treatment, because of the urging of family members who are also seeking a good night’s sleep.

If you snore loudly and experience extreme daytime sleepiness you may suffer from sleep apnea or another sleep disorder. Many patients have been diagnosed with sleep apnea but find sleeping with a CPAP machine impossible and discontinue treating their disease.

Please contact Dr. Mark Levy at StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH at 614-476-6696 to discover how oral appliance therapy can give you, and your loved ones, a full night of restful sleep.

Most of us go to the dentist at least once a year. A survey by the Centers for Disease control found that 71% of women had their teeth cleaned in 2008. That still leaves about 30% of women not getting regular care and women typically do more preventive care than men so I don’t even want to guess at the number for the guys!

Here’s the healthcare that you are missing out on by not making those dental hygiene appointments:

• Oral cancer screening is a part of every appointment. We look for discolorations, swollen or ulcerated areas or anything out of the ordinary. Early diagnosis and treatment equals very high cure rates.
• Heart disease is not caused by gum disease but the two are closely linked. A study from Berkeley found that women who got dental care reduced their risk of heart disease by one-third.
• Nutritional problems often show up in the mouth. For example, a pale colored tongue can be a sign of an iron deficiency.
• Diabetes and gum health are closely related. Having diabetes increases the risk of gum disease and having gum disease makes it harder to control your blood sugar. Your dentist should be an integral part of your healthcare team when it comes to fighting diabetes.

Remember that for almost all of the things that can go wrong with your dental health early detection means an easier, and less expensive treatment. If dental anxiety or fear is making you skip preventative care then sedation dentistry might be the answer. Ask us how sedation dentistry can help you.

Please contact Dr. Mark Levy at StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your next dental hygiene appointment. Your oral health and overall health are important, don’t delay.

Dr. Challet and his fellow researchers studied two groups of mice. One group was normal and the other lacked the “Rev-Erb alpha” gene. The mice who were lacking the body-clock gene became overweight and had blood sugar problems even if they ate the same quantity of food at the same time as normal mice. It seems the mice who lacked the gene metabolized their food differently than the normal mice.

The human body has evolved in such a way that our internal body clock and the natural cycle of night and day are meant to be aligned. When this doesn’t happen, in night shift workers for example, our body clock gene is impaired.

Sleep apnea patients, and often their partners, often experience weight control issues. Being overweight means that you are more likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and those with sleep apnea tend to gain weight – a vicious cycle. Make sleep an important part of your overall healthy living plan and if you experience loud snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness you should be tested for obstructive sleep apnea.

Please contact Dr. Mark Levy at StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your sleep apnea consultation.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway becomes blocked during sleep by tissues of the mouth and throat. Oxygen levels in the bloodstream drop and the brain eventually triggers the sleeper to waken briefly to begin breathing again. This is usually accompanied by loud gasps or snorts and loud snoring punctuates most of the night. The stoppage of breath puts a huge strain on the entire cardiovascular system so it is not surprising that high blood pressure is so common in sleep apnea patients.

Diagnosing sleep apnea begins with a sleep study which monitors your breathing and oxygen levels during sleep. Treatment often begins with a CPAP machine which, while highly effective, is not tolerated by almost half of all sleep apnea patients. A very effective treatment that is more comfortable and less cumbersome is an oral appliance created by a dentist who has special training in the field of dental sleep medicine.

In the Columbus, OH area Dr. Mark Levy has exceptional training and experience in treating patients with sleep apnea. Please contact StoneRidge Dental Care  at 614-476-6696 today to schedule your consultation for diagnosis and treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea.

This study give us the first conclusive link between a specific cancer causing chemical in smokeless tobacco and oral cancers.

Since April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month it is the perfect time to quit using all forms of tobacco and make an appointment for your oral cancer screening. When oral cancers are diagnosed early they are treatable and survival rates are high. Unfortunately, most cases are not diagnosed until they are more advanced. New research is also showing that oral cancers are among the most expensive cancers to treat.

Risk factors for oral cancer include smoking, alcohol use and HPV infection. Oral cancer patients used to be older men with a history of smoking and alcohol use, but today we are seeing a spike in younger people with cancers of the mouth and throat due to HPV infection.

If you experience any mouth sore that doesn’t heal within a couple of weeks or a persistent sore throat please contact us immediately at our Columbus, OH office. Call StoneRidge Dental Care at 614-476-6696 today to schedule your appointment.

Relax, we’ve got tons of bacteria living in our mouths every day. We brush and floss to keep the numbers under control. Some of these bacteria are good guys and some are bad and cause tooth decay and gum disease — we’re still trying to figure out how to kill the bad ones but keep the good ones around. For now, all of the toothpastes and mouth rinses attack all the bacteria.

Back to that dirty toothbrush. Remember that plaque is bacteria so every time you brush to remove plaque you are loading your toothbrush with bacteria. Short of using a disposable toothbrush what can you do to keep your toothbrush clean?

A Few Tips For A Cleaner Toothbrush

Bathrooms are small and toilet water sprays when you flush. Keep the toothbrush away from the toilet area of the bathroom.

Rinse your toothbrush after using in running water.

Let your toothbrush dry – don’t use a toothbrush cover that allows moisture to stay on the brush.

Store it upright in a container – laying down allows the bristles to pick up more bacteria.

No sharing your toothbrush. Ever. Period.

Toothbrush sanitizers are an option but most people don’t really need them. The majority of the bacteria on our toothbrushes won’t make us sick.

Change brushes every three months. Change more often if you have been sick or if the bristles look frayed.

Our bodies are filled with bacteria, in fact we couldn’t live without some of them, so don’t panic about your toothbrush. Keep oral bacteria in check by brushing, flossing and visiting your dental hygienist regularly.

Contact StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your next visit. Keep brushing!

The health consequences of Spousal Arousal Syndrome can be significant. Spouses lose an average of two hours of sleep per night because of the snoring partner and what sleep they do get is often fragmented. Lack of sleep causes weight gain, irritability, increased blood pressure, memory problems and daytime sleepiness. Poor job performance and an increased risk of accident due to tiredness are also common.

Other than sleeping in separate ends of the house what can you do? First, you need to convince your spouse that their snoring is really THAT bad. A tape recorder or video camera may come in handy for this. Second, you need to have your spouse screened for a sleep breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea. Loud snoring, gasping or choking during sleep are all signs.

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea has very serious health consequences including increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Fortunately, diagnosing and treating sleep apnea can allow you both a full night of sleep. The first line of treatment for this disorder is called CPAP but about half of patients cannot tolerate sleeping with the machine. A highly effective and much simpler treatment is an oral appliance created by a sleep medicine dentist like Dr. Mark Levy in Columbus, OH. An oral appliance looks similar to a mouthguard and is worn during sleep — when properly adjusted the device stops the snoring and keeps the airway open all night.

You both wake up feeling energized and refreshed! How long has it been since that happened?

Please contact StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your dental sleep medicine consultation with Dr. Levy. You both deserve a good night’s sleep.

The study  showed that patients with the tumors were twice as likely to have had frequent dental x-rays since childhood. However, the study did not look at patient’s actual dental records to record the actual number of x-rays but instead relied upon the individuals in the study to remember how many x-rays they have had. Can you remember this accurately?

NBC Nightly News reported on this subject as well also noting that the subjects memories may not be completely accurate. NBC experts and others are reminding patients that due to the age of the study subjects much of the x-ray exposure occurred years ago when dental x-ray machines exposed patients to much higher doses of radiation. Modern digital radiography is now used by most progressive dental offices and offers very low radiation exposure.

We cannot completely avoid dental x-rays. A physical and visual examination by a dentist is not sufficient for us to detect all oral diseases – tumors, abscesses, cracked teeth, and decay all need x-rays for diagnosis. We do try to limit their use.  You can rest assured that we order dental x-rays only when needed for diagnosis and treatment. Protective aprons and thyroid collars are used for the safety of our patients and we never use mercury based dental fillings. Your overall health is our highest priority.

Please contact StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your next appointment.

You’ve got to ask a lot of questions.

Where did the dentist receive his or her training in cosmetics?  If the answer is “dental school” then it is time to walk away. Advanced cosmetic procedures are not covered in depth during dental school.

How many cosmetic dentistry continuing education courses has the dentist taken? Do the dentist and their staff members attend ongoing continuing education in this field?

What dental organizations does the dentist belong to? Membership in the American Dental Association is wonderful but doesn’t mean anything when we are talking about cosmetic dentistry.

Probably the most important part of choosing a cosmetic dentist is finding someone that you trust. You should feel comfortable talking to the dentist about your wants and needs. You cannot expect to take complete control of your smile makeover however – your cosmetic dentist has extensive training in creating beautiful, natural looking, healthy smiles. Unless you have the same training, you need to leave the details to your dentist!

Cosmetic dentistry ranges from simple whitening procedures or porcelain veneers to full-mouth makeovers. Most people can achieve a beautiful smile without resorting to extremes so you may be surprised by how affordable having your dream smile can be.

Find out today! Contact Dr. Mark Levy at StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH at 614-476-6696 to schedule your consultation for cosmetic dentistry.

Sleep apnea in the trucking industry is not a secret but what is surprising is just how prevalent the problem is. A study done in Australia showed that 41% of the truck drivers in Australia have obstructive sleep apnea. Less than 5% of the drivers said they had previously been diagnosed with sleep apnea however. This study only looked at Australian truck drivers but the findings that 49% smoked, 50% were obese and 36% were overweight probably would match well with the American population of truck drivers. NPR had previously reported that up to 33% of truck drivers in the US had sleep apnea.

Sleepy transportation workers are a danger and the problem is not limited to the people who drive the big rigs. Train operators, pilots and others all have reported experiencing a “near miss” because of fatigue.

Has fatigue affected your work performance? If the answer is yes and you experience frequent daytime sleepiness you may suffer from a sleep breathing disorder that is robbing you of the rest you need. Please contact StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your consultation.