Welcome to our F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Hi, I'm Dr. Howard Hoffman, the sleep apnea dentist. I've been treating people with sleep apnea since 1997. During those years I've accumulated and list and written down a number of questions that were asked most commonly. As you look around the grid here, you'll see a smattering of topics that people ask questions about, just click on any of them, and they'll see an extended answer and hear me talk about it as well. If you have any question answered, personally, please feel free to call me at the office that the number below or click the chat button, and we'll get to you as fast as we can.

 The most common question we hear is, what is sleep apnea? We hear about sleep apnea all over the place lately. What does sleep apnea really mean? That's really a question that's on most people's mind. What does sleep apnea mean? And how does it apply to me? How does it apply to you, or someone you care about? And want some real clarification? Having trouble finding it?

Well, sleep apnea is a condition where air is not getting through your nose into your lungs, the airway is blocked somehow. That's what causes sleep apnea. That's the meaning of sleep apnea, no air, no air while you sleep in your lungs. How does this happen? What causes it? Well, we, when we look at sleep apnea, we ask questions when we check someone out. We want to know how many times he stopped breathing during the night. How many times is your airway blocked? And for how long each time, you'd be surprised to know how often this occurs? Okay. So that blockage somewhere between your nose and lungs stops the air from getting into the lungs, and it results in snoring and sleep apnea.