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Dr. Halstrom – The Short Story
September 2nd, 2014 | Posted in: Dr. Halstrom News, Education Centre, silencer-news, UncategorizedDr. L. Wayne Halstrom
After many years in dental practice Dr. Halstrom suffered a major car accident as a result of falling asleep at the wheel of his car. The resulting injuries ended a 30 year career in major restorative dentistry.
After being initially misdiagnosed as having Narcolepsy he was overjoyed to be found to be suffering from sleep apnea instead. This resulted in a new passion and a new career. Over the past 23 years he has limited his professional life to the treatment of sleep disordered breathing. He joined the sleep apnea research team at the University of BC in 1990 , his goal being to find a way that his sleep problems could be managed without having to wear a mask and ventilator every night – (CPAP) therapy. In spite of sustained and valiant efforts to undergo the therapy he failed.
In a quest to overcome the malady, over the subsequent three years he invented and researched a device that he now wears every night. Over the last 23 years, he has personally treated some 4000 patients with a device known as the Silencer. The foundation behind the therapy is an age old first aid principle – move the lower jaw forward and the air way will open! The Silencer is a dental device similar to a night guard for treating tooth grinding. Worn only at night, it’s function is to open the airway by moving the jaw, and subsequently the tongue, out of the airway allowing room for the tissue that otherwise vibrates to create the snoring sound and in some cases closes the airway entirely to create the condition of Sleep Apnea.
Dr. Halstrom is a pioneer in the field of oral appliance therapy for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea. He has lectured internationally and has been recognized with Diplomate status classification in Sleep Medicine by both the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Sleep and Breathing Academy.
He refined his presentation and public speaking skills while serving for 10 years as a part of “organized dentistry”. He served as president of the British Columbia Dental Association in 2003 and the Canadian Dental Association in 2006. His contributions to his profession have been recognized as:
• An Honorary member of the Vancouver and District Dental Association
• An Honorary member of the British Columbia Dental Association
• A distinguished service award recipient from the College of Dental Surgeons of BC
• He has been awarded Fellowships in:
o The International Academy of Dentistry
o The American Academy of Dentistry
o The Pierre Fouchard Academy
o The Academy of Dentistry Internationale