7 Healthcast: Sleep apnea

A good night's sleep is an important part of staying healthy.

But for people who suffer from sleep apnea, it's a constant bedtime battle!

Robbie Burnstine, has sleep apnea
"You have night after night, week after week, month after month, grinding year after year of no real sleep and it's debilitating."

Sleep apnea is when a person's airway closes while they sleep, making it difficult to breathe.

Conventional treatments weren't helping Robbie Burnstine of Cambridge, but she finally got some relief in an unusual place--- her dentist's office.

Doctor Gail Demko specializes in sleep dentistry.

She prescribed Robbie with a dental appliance to help her breathe at night.

The device looks like an orthodontic retainer, but works by gradually moving the jaw forward, opening up the airway.

Dr. Gail Demko, DMD, sleep dentistry expert
 "As the jaw is moved forward now the tongue moves, all these other muscles move and there are fibers from the upright portion of the jaw here that go toward the airway. And those fibers are stretched and open the airway sideways."

Robbie says the device is simple to use, and she can now say goodbye to sleepless nights.

Robbie Burnstine, has sleep apnea
"The way I think about it is in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy opens the door from a black and white from her house in Kansas and steps into the color world of Oz."

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