Jaw Pain or Clicking? Snoring at Night?
watch a tv program about TMJ and sleep apnea appliance therapy
By Annette Pinder
COVID-19 continues to disrupt nearly every aspect of our daily lives, including the quality of our sleep. Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, founder of Facial Pain and Apnea Appliance Therapy Group, has been helping people throughout Buffalo and Rochester who suffer from loss of sleep due to conditions like sleep apnea and painful temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ).
Dr. Goldberg explains, “Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. Individuals who suffer from the condition may snore or feel tired even after a full night’s sleep. Sleep apnea contributes to poor health in general and makes painful conditions like TMJ disorders and headaches worse.” Traditional therapy for sleep apnea often involves the use of a CPAP-machine. However, oral appliance therapy is another option for patients who are either unwilling or unable to use a CPAP-machine, and one that has proven to be highly successful for many of Dr. Goldberg’s patients.
TMJ disorder is a condition in which the joint that connects the jaw to the skull isn’t working properly. The condition impacts a person’s ability to move their jaw up and down and side to side, making it difficult and painful to chew, talk, and yawn. Not only does TMJ disorder interfere with ordinary daily activities, but it can also interfere with a person’s ability to sleep.
According to the National Institute of Health, getting the proper amount of sleep and improving one’s sleep quality is more important than ever, noting that “Sleep schedule and quality is an important part of coping with these stressful times and defending against COVID-19.” National data from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that a third of U.S. adults are not getting the minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Studies have also shown that poor sleep disrupts the immune system by interfering with disease-fighting factors, including certain proteins called cytokines, which affects the body’s ability to fight infections, like the virus that causes COVID-19.
Dr. Goldberg tells his patients, “Getting a good night’s sleep during the pandemic helps boost the immune system and should be an important part of your daily routine, along with healthy eating and staying physically active.”
Jeffrey Goldberg, DDS MS MBA is the founder of Facial Pain and Apnea Appliance Therapy Group, with offices in Buffalo (Amherst) and Rochester. To make an appointment visit www.facialpainandapnea.com where you can learn more about various conditions he and other dentists in his practice treat, take advantage of TMJ exercise videos, and more. Call 716-636-2222 in Buffalo or 585-730-6153 in Rochester.
See Dr. Goldberg in a special televised program on sleep apnea and TMD/TMJ on Wednesday February 24 at 8pm and on Saturday February 27 at noon on WBBZ-TV – Buffalo Healthy Channel 5 (Spectrum, DISH, and Verizon Fios) and channel 67 (DirecTV).
