I have battled sleep apnea for 25 years. I have tried surgery (laser assisted uvulectomy), CPAP ( 5 years, literally dozens of different masks) which did not work for me. I finally resigned myself of trying to sleep sitting up. Although I am very disciplined about health issues ( I eat well, exercise regularly, am not overweight, don’t smoke etc. etc) years of sleep apnea contributed to a diagnosis of heart failure.
I was finally referred to Dr. Valachi and was weary and skeptical Having come from a family of top tier dentists, I am extremely picky about dentists! I soon realized that he is a highly skilled professional with a knack for making his patients comfortable and a desire to inform as well as well as provide relief.
Pros: .. Extremely knowledgeable about sleep apnea and all related areas. (more so than the MD sleep apnea specialist I’ve seen)
.. Goes the extra mile to look into problems related to sleep issues (pillows to use, related health issues)
.. Provides home sleep study as part of workup, with follow up to track progress.
.. Uses high tech,state of the art equipment to diagnose, describe and to teach patient re: their particular profile.
;; Cares about the ease of use and comfort of device.
.. Does regular follow-up to insure that patient is having a positive result, with interventions along the way when necessary.
..Wonderful ‘chair side’ madder. Personable, positive, curious, interested, meticulous.
Cons: Unfortunately does not do general dentistry, or he would be my ‘regular’ dentist. (he did however, refer me to an excellent
local dentist.
I used to be tense and anxious about going to sleep because of choking episodes and awakening in a panic, having dreams of suffocating etc. Stress around sleeping is now gone and I now go to bed relaxed, and have uninterrupted sleep. I am grateful to have discovered Dr. Valachi.
And a nod to Chrystal who, as his girl Friday, adds to the positive atmosphere and experience in this office!
Jean S.
