Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a medical syndrome that causes the breathing to become very shallow or completely stopped during sleep. It is a common problem that affects millions of adults in North America. It is found that 1 in 5 adults have mild OSA, and 1 in 15 adults have moderate disease! If left untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, headaches, motor vehicle accidents and increased mortality. Snoring also greatly disturbs the sleep and well-being of bed partners
The good news is that we understand the disease much better now, and treatment of Sleep Apnea has become easier, more readily available, and more effective.
Every cell in our body needs oxygen in order to function, and the only way to get oxygen into our body is through the airways when we take a breath of air into our lungs.
OSA happens when something partially or completely blocks the airway during sleep. This could be due to malfunctioning of the airway muscles to keep the airway open, and/or abnormality in the structures surrounding the airway, making the airway smaller than usual. A smaller airway passage can close partially or completely. This is called hypopneas and apneas, respectively.
When OSA happens, the lung does not receive enough air, resulting in lack of oxygen to the rest of the body and the brain. Eventually, the brain wakes the body up from the sleep to activate the diaphragm and the chest muscles, and breathing usually resumes with a loud gasp, snort, or body jerk. The body and brain then falls back to sleep, and the whole process repeats itself.
The severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is quantified by the number of hypopneas and apneas per hour of sleep. Patients with OSA may not realize that their sleep had been interrupted, but they typically will wake up 5-15 times an hour; patients with a severe disease will wake up almost every minute!
The frequent arousal from sleep results in sleep fragmentation and sleep deprivation. This can result in excessive daytime sleepiness, intellectual deterioration, personality changes, and behavioral disorders.
OSA had also been shown to be related to headache and chronic craniofacial pain. It was reported in a recent review article published in Sleep Medicine Reviews that 30-70% of OSA patients suffer from headaches. Although no relationship had been found between OSA and migraine in the general population, migraine in patients with OSA improves when OSA is treated. Temporal Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) is also found to be associated with OSA (28%).
There are two therapies most commonly used to treat OSA.
The appliance, which must be worn each night to produce the desire effect, helps prevent the airway from collapsing by creating more airway space.
Oral appliances help to improve the patency of the airway through a combination of mechanisms, including: providing a stable and consistent, forward positioning of mandible, advancement of the tongue and possibly a change in the tongue muscle activity.
The use of OA for an OSA patient should be prescribed by the physician who made the OSA diagnosis. An effective OA is custom made for the patient using digital or physical impressions and models of patient’s mouth and teeth. It is not a primarily prefabricated item that is trimmed, bent, relined, or otherwise modified. Therefore, OSA patients who are suitable are referred to a dentist for oral appliance therapy.
Oral appliance is an alternative treatment option to patients who cannot tolerate or do not accept CPAP therapy. It is clinically proven to be effective in treating snoring and mild to moderate OSA. Patients find it convenient to wear and easy to travel with as no power supply is necessary. Because it is custom made for each patient, the fit is excellent and comfortable, and it is approximately the size of a mouth guard. Studies show 92% of patients wearing oral appliances reported snoring to be either eliminated or greatly improved.
The team at PacificWest Dental is equipped to address your sleep apnea and work with you to get a better night’s sleep. Please contact us for more information!
Learn more about how we can treat your chronic head pain.
Where To Find Us?
Pacific West Dental’s Vancouver clinic is located at 182 E 15th Ave, in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood of Vancouver. The clinic is situated near Main Street and is easily accessible by car or public transit.
If you are taking public transit to the clinic, you can take the Canada Line SkyTrain towards King George and get off at Broadway-City Hall station. From there, take the 99 B-Line bus towards UBC and get off at Main Street and East 15th Avenue. The clinic will be a short walk away.
If you are driving to the clinic, you can take the Cambie Street Bridge and turn left onto Broadway. Continue on Broadway and turn right onto Main Street. Take a left onto East 15th Avenue and the clinic will be on your right-hand side.
Nearby landmarks to Pacific West Dental’s Vancouver location include Main Street, Mount Pleasant Community Centre, and Guelph Park.
Get started today by calling us at 604-558-0993 (Vancouver) OR
604-501-0993 (Surrey), or by filling the contact form.
During your initial consultation, we will understand your situation, perform a visual examination of your bite, recommend a treatment plan and answer any questions or concerns you may have.
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Dr. Yash is a Certified Specialist Orthodontist with an experience of over 14 years gained through specialist orthodontic practices in Mumbai, India and Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He is multilingual and fluent in several languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, and Arabic.
He completed his dental program from India in 2006 with Honors, as a distinguished recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Certificate of Merit for Academic Excellence and subsequently earned his master’s degree in Orthodontics from Government Dental College as a Gold Medalist of the Goa University in 2010. Being an ardent advocate of ‘Learner for Life’ philosophy, Dr. Yash went on to pursue advanced training in Lingual Orthodontics, Micro Implant Anchorage and Surgical Orthodontics at the Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea in 2014. He then completed a mini-residency stint at the UConn Dental School, University of Connecticut, USA (2017) to further hone his skills for accelerated orthodontics and clear aligner therapy.
Dr. Yash moved to Canada with his family in 2022 and completed his orthodontic specialty recertification program at the University of British Columbia in 2024, by securing the single coveted seat offered to internationally trained Orthodontists in 2023. He is also a fellow of the prestigious Royal College of Dentists of Canada- an honor bestowed to the top dental specialists in their field.
Dr. Yash believes in “Practice Passion in Orthodontics” and specializes in treating children with preventive and interceptive orthodontics, and adults with contemporary and esthetic treatment modalities.
In his spare time, Dr. Yash enjoys talking; actually, mostly listening, to his wife, Aditi, an orthodontist herself; and their chatty 6-year-old daughter, Anahita. The trio live in Vancouver and love exploring all the wonderful places, sampling the plethora of cuisines and just soaking in the resplendent beauty that Beautiful British Columbia and Canada offer!
To find out more about the orthodontic specialties, braces for teeth and treatments at PacificWest Dental Group, please call PacificWest Dental Surrey or Vancouver offices to book an appointment.
Dr. Yan Liu is a Certified Specialist of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics with over 20 years of experience as both a practitioner and an educator. She has been practicing at Pacificwest Dental Group in Vancouver BC, since 2021.
She received her Doctor of Dental Medicine from Beijing Medical University in 1997 and later acquired her Ph.D. from Peking University in 2001. In 2004 Dr. Liu finished her postdoctoral fellowship at the Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. She is now a part-time faculty at UBC Dentistry School, where she spends considerable time advancing research and mentoring students. Her clinical researches are about Assessment of Treatment Results of Invisalign and Comparison of Root Resorption Between Cases Treated with Invisalign and Fixed Edgewise Appliance.
When asked what gets her up in the morning, Dr. Liu says it’s seeing her patients thrive in life with their new smiles. She strives to explore efficient treatment modalities that serve patients well and keep her knowledge and skills updated. She also cares about the ongoing research and development in Orthodontics and how to improve the long-term impact on patients’ beautiful smiles. Her enthusiasm for her work is further evident in her active involvement in the Canadian Association of Orthodontics as well as the BC Society of Orthodontists.
In her spare time, Dr. Liu enjoys spending time with her family. She loves to golf, bike and practice yoga, too.
To find out more about the orthodontic specialties, braces for teeth and treatments at PacificWest Dental Group, please call PacificWest Dental Surrey or Vancouver offices to book an appointment.
Born and raised in Taiwan, Dr. Kevin Lee moved to Richmond, BC with my family in 1999 when he was 15 years old. Dr. Lee received his Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry) Degree and Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of British Columbia in 2011. After spending a year working as a full-time hospital dental resident at the Montefiore Medical Center in the exciting city of Bronx, New York (Yankees!), Dr. Lee came home to British Columbia, where he spent three years at UBC to complete graduate training in orthodontics. He also earned a Master of Science degree in Craniofacial Biology for his study of Dentofacial Morphology in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Dr. Lee is a certified specialist in Orthodontics, a fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and diplomat of the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Lee is also a director of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in BC.
Dr. Lee lives in Richmond with his wife Dr. Sherry Liu, a local family dentist, and their two kids. In his spare time, Dr. Lee enjoys photography, cooking, movies, and spending time with families and friends. He also volunteers at Willingdon Church as photographer and First Aid Responder.
“The unique combination of art, mechanics, and science required to treat every patient is what made orthodontics fascinating to me. Because every smile and patient is unique and different, a customized treatment plan is formed for each person to provide a balance between function, aesthetic, and health. As a board-certified orthodontist, I am passionate in updating myself with the most advanced knowledge and skill to provide quicker, easier, and most predictable treatment options for my patients. I am excited for the opportunities to meet with every one of my patients to share my knowledge, skill, and passion in orthodontics, and to form a long lasting partnership with them.”
To find out more about the orthodontic specialties, braces for teeth and treatments at PacificWest Dental Group, please call PacificWest Dental Surrey or Vancouver offices to book an appointment.
Surrey Office:
Call (604) 501-0993.
7388-137th Street, Suite 3, Surrey, BC
Connect with me on LinkedIn at – +Kevin Lee –
Orthodontic specialist, Dr. Wang, is the founder and sole-proprietor of PacificWest Orthodontics and Dental Group in Surrey and Vancouver. Dr. Cheng Lun Wang graduated with a degree in Dental Surgery from the University of Western Ontario in 1989.
After graduation, he completed an internship with the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, transitioning later into a full-time position with the I.W.K. Hospital for Children in Halifax and specializing as a pediatric orthodontist. During this time, Dr. Wang continued to teach undergraduate dental students from Dalhousie University, while also building a part-time private practice in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Dr. Wang entered the orthodontic program at the University of Manitoba in 1991. After three years of intensive Clinical Orthodontic training, he earned a Masters of Science degree in Craniofacial Biology in 1994.
An enthusiasm for continuing education has led Dr. Wang to share his years of professional experience on Orthodontic and Pediatric dentistry at various lectures and professional presentations throughout Canada. In addition to actively practicing lingual and labial Orthodontics in his private clinics, he also serves as a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Dentistry. His clinical research has been published in the Journal of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology.
Dr. Wang’s primary focus is working directly with you to meet your specific orthodontic needs. Working with his orthodontic associates and support team, Dr. Wang practices out of two PacificWest Dental Group clinics – one in Vancouver BC and the other in Surrey BC.
To find out more about the orthodontic specialties, braces for teeth and treatments at PacificWest Dental Group, please call PacificWest Dental Surrey or Vancouver offices to book an appointment.
Surrey Office:
Call (604) 501-0993.
7388-137th Street, Suite 3, Surrey, BC
Connect with me on LinkedIn at – +Lun Wang –
