CEREC doctors.com - Q1 2017 - page 28

26 | CERECDOCTORS.COM | QUARTER 1 | 2017
| | | K W I E C I E N
Figs. 4-5: 2D
view open
(near right)
and closed
(far right)
Figs. 6-9: 3D views
not surprising that by using decongestants or nasal strips, the
improvement can become obvious, and a patient will be moti-
vated for further evaluation and simultaneously take ownership
of the condition, often with a marked improvement in sleep, as
apneas and hypopneas are more frequent when breathing orally
compared to nasally.5
Moreover, structural abnormalities within the nasal passage
increase the number of apneic events due to the increase of
“flow-limited” breathing.6 The “pre-apneic” patient may not
have notable apneic events or hypopnes, but will often have
There is a place in our profession to
encourage and educate patients about
Buteyko mouth taping to re-train the
body to breathe through the nose.