Improve Your Rest With A Precision Approach
Poor sleep can severely impact your energy, mood, and long-term health. Dr. Sarah Carlson and our dedicated team use an advanced neuromuscular approach to understand the relationship between your airway, muscles, and jaw alignment to support better breathing without causing joint discomfort.
Life-Changing Sleep Solutions
For Better Health
We offer modern, comfortable alternatives to traditional sleep machines to help you breathe easier throughout the night. Our goal is to provide effective therapy that fits seamlessly into your lifestyle so you can wake up feeling refreshed.
- FDA-cleared neuromuscular sleep appliances, such as the ProSomnus EVO, provide comfortable airway support.
- Minimally invasive snore therapy using advanced laser technology.
- Thorough airway screening and computerized jaw tracking.
- Travel-friendly, quiet solutions that do not require electricity or hoses.
Or Call (651) 439-8840
Types Of
Sleep-Related Treatments
We provide a range of conservative, sleep-related dental care options tailored to your specific anatomy and neuromuscular needs. The first step is always a clear answer, because you cannot treat what you have not yet identified. If you have not already completed a sleep study, we can help you set up a simple at-home sleep test through SleepTest.com that maximizes your health insurance benefits. Once a board-certified sleep physician reviews your results and confirms a diagnosis, we can help you breathe easier with comfortable therapy that does not rely on a CPAP.
Neuromuscular Sleep Appliances
We utilize advanced, FDA-cleared devices, specifically the ProSomnus EVO, to gently support your airway while you rest. These neuromuscular sleep appliances are precision-fitted to keep your jaw in its optimal resting position, ensuring comfortable breathing without creating unnecessary jaw tension.
Snore Therapy With Solea Sleep
If loud snoring is disrupting your rest or your partner’s sleep, we offer gentle snore therapy using our advanced laser dentistry technology. This quick, minimally invasive treatment tightens the tissues in the back of your throat to reduce the vibrations that cause snoring.
Tongue-Ties And Breathing
Sometimes, restricted oral tissues can affect your airway and healthy breathing. We provide evaluations and treatments, including frenectomies, to release tongue-ties and support proper breathing function in infants, children, and adults after adequate preparation with myofunctional therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sleep Apnea Treatment
FAQs
Sleep Apnea Treatment FAQs
We believe that informed patients feel more confident in their decisions. As part of our approach to sleep-related dental care in Stillwater, MN, we take the time to explain your options clearly. Here are a few common questions we receive about improving sleep and breathing.
Common signs of sleep-disordered breathing include loud snoring, waking up gasping for air, morning headaches, and chronic daytime fatigue. We can screen your oral airway during a consultation to help determine if a dental solution is the right next step for you.
Many patients find custom oral appliances to be a highly effective, comfortable, and quiet alternative for managing mild to moderate sleep apnea. We will work collaboratively with your physician to ensure this therapy meets your specific medical and lifestyle needs.
Yes. Loud or chronic snoring can sometimes indicate airway obstruction during sleep. A consultation can help determine whether your symptoms suggest snoring alone or sleep-disordered breathing such as sleep apnea.
Custom oral appliances are designed specifically for your bite, making them much more comfortable than over-the-counter devices. Most patients adjust quickly and appreciate the quiet, travel-friendly design.
Yes. Ongoing sleep disruption may contribute to daytime fatigue, concentration difficulties, mood changes, cardiovascular concerns, and reduced quality of life. Improving nighttime breathing can support better overall wellness.
What To Expect On Your Path To Better Sleep
Sleep apnea can be dangerous, but it is highly treatable, and the process is more straightforward than most people expect. Because you cannot treat a problem until you know it is there, your care follows a clear, step-by-step path that starts with a proper diagnosis and ends with a precise, custom-fit appliance. Here is what you can expect.
Step 1: Consultation and Airway Screening
Your journey begins with a thorough consultation with Dr. Carlson and our team. We listen to your sleep struggles, review your symptoms, and screen your airway to understand what may be interrupting your rest. This visit helps us determine whether a home sleep test is the right next step for you.
Step 2: A Simple At-Home Sleep Test With SleepTest.com
If you have not already completed a sleep study, we will help you set up a simple at-home sleep test through SleepTest.com. You complete the test over a couple of nights in the comfort of your own bed, with no overnight lab stay required. SleepTest.com provides a complimentary insurance benefits check and works to maximize your health insurance benefits, so getting answers is as affordable and convenient as possible.
Step 3: Diagnosis From a Board-Certified Sleep Physician
Once your test is complete, a board-certified sleep physician reviews your results, confirms whether you have sleep-disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea, and, when appropriate, prescribes a dental sleep device. This medical diagnosis is an essential step for both your health and your insurance coverage.
Step 4: Precision Device Design With the K7 Evaluation System
With your diagnosis and prescription in hand, we use the advanced K7 Evaluation System to fabricate a device that fits you precisely. The K7 tracks your jaw movements and measures muscle activity in a completely non-invasive way, allowing Dr. Carlson and our team to find your optimal jaw position before your appliance is made. This computerized precision ensures your therapy improves your breathing while staying in comfortable harmony with your temporomandibular joints. The result is a custom neuromuscular appliance, such as the ProSomnus EVO, built around your unique anatomy.
From your first consultation through your finished appliance and beyond, our team guides you every step of the way so you can get back to consistent, restorative sleep.
Screen Yourself Easily!
FAIREST 6+4 Red Flags For Sleep-Disordered Breathing
FAIREST stands for Functional Airway Evaluation Screening Tool. It was developed by a research team that includes Dr. Soroush Zaghi of The Breathe Institute and was first published in the journal Pediatric Dentistry. It gives both clinicians and patients a structured way to identify the physical red flags of sleep-disordered breathing. The adult version adds four findings to the original six, which is where the name 6+4 comes from.
This focus on physical findings is important because most people who struggle to breathe at night have no idea it is happening. Loud snoring is only one signal, and many people with sleep-disordered breathing never snore at all. Instead, the more reliable clues are often physical—and many of them are visible in a bathroom mirror.
Click any page to view it full size, or click the button below to download the entire PDF.
FAIREST 6+4 screening tool © Fairest.org and The Breathe Institute, shared here for patient education.
How To Screen Yourself At Home
Click any page of the screener below to open it full size, then take it to a well-lit mirror. Work through the six core red flags first:
- Difficulty breathing through your nose, lips sealed, for three full minutes
- Straining or dimpling of the chin muscle when you close your lips
- Visible wear, flattening, or chipping on your teeth
- Enlarged tonsils crowding the back of your throat
- Restricted tongue movement, especially difficulty lifting the tongue to the roof of your mouth
- A narrow or high palate, often paired with crowded teeth
The four adult additions look more closely at the tongue and soft palate, including scalloped indentations along the sides of the tongue, how much of the throat your tongue blocks from view, and whether the tissue at the back of your throat vibrates when your tongue is out of position.
Then simply count what you notice. One red flag is worth mentioning. Several that appear together point to a meaningfully increased likelihood of sleep-disordered breathing and warrant a professional evaluation. Some of these findings are genuinely hard to judge on your own, and that is expected. Note anything you are unsure about, bring your results with you, and we will finish the assessment together.
One important note: this is an awareness tool, not a diagnosis. It is designed to tell you whether the conversation is worth having. Only a clinical evaluation and, when indicated, a sleep test can confirm whether you have sleep-disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea.
If you counted even one or two red flags, call (651) 439-8840 or request an appointment and walk through your results with Dr. Carlson.
Advanced Airway Training and Education
Dr. Carlson is an alumnus of The Breathe Institute, a Los Angeles clinical and research center devoted to airway health, sleep-disordered breathing, and tongue-tie. Since 2016, it has grown into a training network of several thousand physicians, dentists, hygienists, therapists, and speech-language pathologists who all approach breathing as a whole-body function rather than a nighttime nuisance. That perspective is why our sleep evaluations look at your tongue, your palate, your nasal airflow, and your jaw position together instead of one at a time.
The Breathe Institute also publishes a good deal of information written for patients rather than providers. Their patient information area covers how airway and breathing conditions are identified and treated, from nasal obstruction and enlarged tonsils to home sleep testing, tongue-tie release, and orofacial myofunctional therapy. If you want to understand the reasoning behind what we do before you sit in our chair, it is an excellent place to start.
Worth knowing as you read: some of the procedures described there are performed by physicians and surgeons rather than dentists. Dr. Carlson can help you sort out which parts genuinely apply to your situation and which do not, and she can coordinate with your physician when a medical referral makes sense.
Or Call (651) 439-8840
Why Patients Trust Us For Sleep Wellness Care
We combine advanced technology with a deep understanding of the connection between your mouth and your entire body to deliver results that truly improve your life. Our team is dedicated to providing high-quality, comprehensive care in a welcoming environment where your comfort and health are always our top priorities.
Or Call (651) 439-8840
Explore More Of
Our Services
As part of our approach to sleep-related dental care in Stillwater, MN, we provide treatments that support your oral health long after your sleep improves, helping maintain function and overall wellness.
TMJ & Bite Therapy
Find relief from chronic jaw discomfort, headaches, and bite imbalance with personalized TMJ therapy. Our Stillwater dental team uses advanced diagnostics to support healthier jaw function and long-term comfort.
Restorative Dentistry
Repair damaged teeth and restore bite strength with restorative dentistry focused on lasting comfort and function. From crowns to bridges, we help rebuild healthy smiles that support your overall wellness.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Enhance your smile with cosmetic dentistry designed to improve symmetry, brightness, and confidence. Treatments like veneers, whitening, and bonding help create beautiful, natural-looking results.
Family Dentistry
Protect lifelong oral health with family dentistry centered on preventive care and personalized treatment. We provide cleanings, exams, and ongoing support for healthy smiles at every age.
Helpful Tips & Info
Patient Education Articles
We are committed to helping you better understand your sleep health. As part of our approach to sleep-related dental care in Stillwater, MN, we provide guidance on airway health and improving the quality of your rest. Explore our learning center for helpful insights.
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