Introducing Dr. Robb Heinrich

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Dr. Erin Elliott

With the recent evidence that oral health is connected to overall health, ridding dental disease has become even more important.  It is extremely exciting for me to know that what I do every day for a living can affect the overall health of my patients and that is what drives my passion for dentistry.  Knowing now that diabetes, strokes, heart disease, low birth weight babies, and other systemic diseases have been linked to periodontal disease and that in my dental office we can help those patients with those conditions takes my ability to help patients to another level.

Recently I have taken it up a notch: Sleep dentistry.  That is treating those patients with Sleep Apnea that have either tried the CPAP machine and could not tolerate it with oral appliance therapy, a dental device.  Sleep Apnea is a growing concern and we are finding out so much about how a good night sleep can make you healthier.  Those with Sleep Apnea tend to feel tired or drag throughout the day, have higher blood pressure, have low energy levels, are at higher risk for stroke, and just flat out never get to that third level of sleep that the body requires to repair itself.

So now a new passion that fits with my previous one, creating health through dental care.  Being able to treat patients that have Sleep Apnea with a dental appliance and whose lives have been so negatively affected by the condition is a blessing to me.   I’m so grateful for the feeling I get when a patient tells me “I have not felt that refreshed in the morning for so many years.”

If you or someone you know has or may have Sleep Apnea or would benefit from a better night sleep, call one of us at Sleep Better North West and we will be happy to help.