What to bring
- Your medical insurance or Medicare card and a photo ID
- A list of your medicines and any heart, lung or blood pressure conditions
- Any sleep study you have had, and your CPAP settings if you use one
- Anything a bed partner has noticed: snoring, pauses, gasping
The new patient examination
The new patient examination is extensive, not a quick screening, and Dr. Lynch does it herself. It is thorough because sleep apnea leaves signs in the mouth, the jaw and the airway, and because an appliance has to fit teeth and gums that are healthy enough to hold it. We share as much information as possible up front, so you are well aware of what will happen when you visit.
Images. We take the x-rays you need and no more. Small intraoral images show the roots and the bone between the teeth; a panoramic image shows the jaws, the joints and the airway in one view. Dr. Lynch decides which are needed from what she finds.
The airway, mouth and neck. Dr. Lynch examines the soft tissue of the mouth and throat, the tongue and the soft palate, and feels the lymph nodes along the jaw and the neck. This includes an oral cancer screening, and anything she notices is recorded by size and appearance and watched at your next visit.
The jaw joint. She examines the temporomandibular joint as you open and close, and asks what you feel. If you have jaw pain or a history of grinding, the examination extends to the muscles of the head, neck and upper back, because an appliance must respect the joint.
Gums and bone. A periodontal probe, a tiny ruler, measures the pocket between gum and tooth at six points on each tooth, and any recession. Healthy gums and bone are what let an oral appliance work for years.
What it means. At the end of the visit Dr. Lynch goes through everything with you: your images, what she found, and the options that fit. You will have time to ask questions, and nothing is decided for you.
Insurance and Medicare
We accept major medical insurance and Medicare. Because sleep apnea is a medical condition, testing and oral appliance therapy are billed as medical care rather than dental care, which surprises many people and is usually good news for the cost. Call us and we will check your benefits before your first visit.
Three offices, Saturdays by appointment
We see patients in Scottsdale, Glendale and Sun City, and we keep Saturday appointments for people who work during the week. One phone number reaches all three offices: (623) 387-9878.
