Breatheathon Increases Awareness of the Airway and Effective Breathing
Mark the date! On October 2, 2020, now known as O2 day, the Foundation for Airway Health’s inaugural world-wide Breatheathon, will be held on Facebook Live. This is a 12-hour event to raise much-needed funds for their mission of increasing awareness about the far-reaching effects of airway/breathing problems. O2 day is a fantastic opportunity to increase awareness of the impact of airway and sleep disorders and their treatments. Through this 12-hour event, dentists and patients can learn more about how airway issues not only threatens the health of patients, but also disrupts relationships, families, and livelihoods.
Connections Between Airway Issues and Health
The campaign brings to light the stealthy effects of airway and breathing issues, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and helps to connect the dots between airway health and quality of life. According to the Foundation for Airway Health, the majority of people have little awareness of airway and breathing health. Many “endure chronic health problems that could be prevented and reversed. Children suffer from altered growth and development, learning difficulties and behavior issue – and are stamped with a “defective” label that will be with them their entire life.”
More O2 Breatheathon details:
- The Foundation O2 Breatheathon is a free event on Facebook Live.
- It will feature valuable information from practitioners, authors, and researchers.
- Attendees will hear success stories from patients.
- There will also be self-help tips to improve airway and breathing.
- You can register for the event here.
Dentistry’s Role in Airway and Breathing Health
There are more than 80 different oral devices on the market for the treatment of airway issues, such as obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, according to the sleep-focused website “SnoringIsntSexy”. The great preponderance of oral appliances are variations of “mandibular repositioning dental appliances”, devices that move the lower jaw forward. These appliances serve to reduce the likelihood of the sleeper’s tongue falling backward far enough to block the airway.
Also, of interest is the fact that oral appliances for OSA are frequently reimbursed by medical insurance thus prompting dental offices to learn medical insurance billing or update their medical insurance billing skills for upcoming changes in 2021.
About Nierman Practice Management
Nierman dental CE offers many dental sleep medicine courses, to help dentists learn more about treating patients with airway issues like OSA. These courses are available to attend in-person or to livestream from anywhere. See all the upcoming live and virtual courses here.
In addition to dental treatment of sleep apnea and TMJ disorders, Nierman Practice Management also sponsors CE seminars for Crosscoding successful medical insurance in dentistry so that dental practices can master medical billing for sleep apnea and other services such as TMJ treatment and oral surgery. To learn more, check out their self-paced online courses, or one of the live and livestreamed medical billing in dentistry seminars here.