Newspaper: SUN PUBLICATIONS

Date: 07/16/2007

Day of Week: Monday

Edition: SU-SPTAB2

Section: SPECIAL TAB

Page: 2

Headline: Have trouble sleeping? Talk to this dentist

Byline: By David Sharos

Credit: Business Monthly correspondent

Photo By: Beck Diefenbach / Staff photographer

Caption: Dr. Lydia Sosenko of Sherman Oaks Dental in Naperville consults with a patient, right, who is suffering from sleep apnea. In her hand is a mold fitted with an appliance which is meant to prevent the disorder. People with sleep apnea stop breathing for short periods during the night.

Related Photo 1: /FVPHOTOS/NAPERVILLE/2007/07_16/6_3_NA16_DENTAL_P2.txt

Untreated sleep apnea - a disorder where people stop breathing for a short time while sleeping - has been linked to a variety of other issues including hypertension, diabetes, heart problems and stroke.

The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that it affects more than 12 million people nationwide.

Most sufferers seek medical attention from their personal physician, who often will order a sleep study and fit patients with a CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine, which blows air through the airway in order to keep it open.

But when this common sleeping disorder strikes in Naperville, a steady stream of sufferers are going to the dentist.

Since 1990, Dr. Lydia Sosenko has worked as a general practitioner in dentistry at Sherman Oaks Dental, 1100 Sherman Ave., Suite 103, a practice with state-of-the-art technology. She and partner Dr. Bryan Weyneth offer comprehensive dental services from cleanings and fillings to whitening and cosmetic techniques.

Apnea treatments

But a decade ago, Sosenko decided it was time to take her passion for treating patients and their well-being to another level. Under the umbrella of the Sherman Oaks Dental practice, she launched Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois and began offering a treatment for sleep apnea that replaces the often-cumbersome airway pressure machines. Rather than being tethered to a mask while they sleep, patients wear an appliance in their mouth that brings their lower jaw and tongue forward, opening the airway passage.

"This sort of treatment has actually been around for about 20 years," Sosenko said. "Despite that, most dentists are clueless about the use of this oral appliance, but we are working to bridge the gap between the dental and the medical community to offer what many feel is a better option for treating apnea."

Side effects are minimal. Some patients experience minor tooth movement, and drooling or dryness of the mouth can occur during sleep. Some patients experience intermittent pain during the first few weeks.

Sosenko calls sleep apnea "one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in the country," and said some people have a genetic disposition to the disorder.

Special credentials

As a member of an small group of specialists in the country, Sosenko is one of eight people in the state of Illinois who have been named diplomats by the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. The Westmont-based organization promotes the use and research of oral appliances and upper airway surgery for the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders.

"Becoming a diplomat from the academy involves a credential process, including a written test," Sosenko said. The mouth appliance frees patients to toss and turn at will and prevents parents from sleeping through crying or sick children who can't be heard over the din of the airway pressure machine. Interest in oral appliance therapy has grown so much, Sosenko treats sleep disorder patients 80 percent of the time, leaving the bulk of the regular dentistry to Dr. Weyneth, her partner. Computers, lasers Regular dental patients also receive the latest in dental technology.

"We have something known as CEREC technology that uses a CAD camera and allows a computer to make models of a patient's tooth," Weyneth said. "Because of this technology, a patient needing a crown doesn't have to wait two weeks for us
to send something to the lab. They can leave the same day with the permanent crown in their mouth."

Laser surgery, used to correct gum disease and also provide cosmetic dentistry is also available.

Weyneth said he and Sosenko are excited about a nutritional program that will be offered by Nancy Aaron, a registered dental hygienist. Besides the benefits of eating healthier, both doctors see the program as benefiting apnea patients as well.

"By adding the nutritional seminars for patients, we also hope we can help patients with weight loss, which is one of the causes of apnea - being overweight," Sosenko said. "If someone loses enough pounds, they might not even need the appliance anymore."