Marriage can be hard enough without having your sleep disturbed by a partner whose snoring shakes the house. What’s more, severe snoring may be an indication of sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts throughout the night. When left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to heart attack or stroke.
But now, Zahra Afsharzand, DMD—who’s affectionately called “Dr. A”—of Cherry Hill Dental Excellence is the first in South Jersey to offer Fotona’s patented NightLase therapy, the high success rate of which can both produce a positive change in sleep patterns and reduce snoring. This innovative laser snoring treatment is non-invasive and patient-friendly, and increases the quality of a patient’s sleep with little or no discomfort during the procedure. It also can significantly reduce the effects of snoring and improve sleep apnea.
“What happens with snoring is the back of the throat, the soft palate, loses tone over time, it softens up and drops, just like the skin in our face does as we age,” Dr. A explains, adding that NightLase uses the Fotona laser, which has a range of applications like helping with canker and cold sores, repairing tooth decay, gum shaping, lip plumping and skin tightening.
“The Fotona laser uses wavelengths that can penetrate and heat up the tissue and create new cells in the tissue to promote collagen formation and tighten the skin and the tissue,” she continues.
NightLase consists of three one-hour treatments targeting the soft palate, the tongue and underneath the tongue. Each treatment is delivered 21 days apart “because that’s how long the body needs to promote the new collagen formation.” The procedure’s non-invasive nature means zero recovery time and minimal soreness, which Dr. A likens to a mild sore throat.
Cherry Hill Dental Excellence’s patients are already experiencing and praising NightLase’s life-changing results, including Philadelphia Flyers star Brian Propp, who noticed improvement right away. So did his wife.
“This is a very simple treatment that helps patients and their partners sleep better through the night, since there’s less snoring for both of them,” Dr. A says. “It makes me feel really good that I can actually help my patients [by] doing something conservative with the latest technology and without any surgical intervention.”
Dr. A, who always strives to find the latest and greatest treatments for her patients, has spent her career as an active clinician, educator and researcher. She graduated from Temple University in 1992 and completed her graduate training in prosthodontics there in 1994. As an educator, Dr. A was a former group leader and full-time clinical associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine from 1994-2017. She is currently a member of the American College of Prosthodontics, the American Cleft-Palate Craniofacial Association and the American Dental Association.
She established Cherry Hill Dental Excellence in 2004, providing general and specialty
prosthodontic dental treatment in a warm and comforting setting, having restored a lovely home in the Barclay Farm neighborhood.
As a prosthodontist, she specializes in exceptional oral function by creating prostheses and providing custom restorations. Her cutting-edge services include cosmetic and implant dentistry, treatment for TMJ and sleep apnea, and now NightLase.
Cherry Hill Dental Excellence also prioritizes exceptional care, emphasizing strong patient interaction. The practice ensures each dental visit is both comfortable and tailored to the individual’s needs, all while remaining affordable. It even employs a trained therapy dog named Leo, who offers comfort and cuddling to those who are anxious about dental procedures.
Combining the latest technology with the greatest patient care not only has earned Dr. A a place on South Jersey Magazine’s Top Dentists list but also underscores her practice’s determination to improve both the oral and overall health of her South Jersey neighbors.
“Our staff is like family with our patients: Some of our clients have been with us for 20 years, we watched their children grow up,” Dr. A affirms. “It is a nice feeling when we can help them.”
Cherry Hill Dental Excellence
Cherry Hill
(856) 428-2550 | CherryHillDentalExcellence@gmail.com
CherryHillDentalExcellence.com
Photo: Dr. Afsharsand with former Philadelphia Flyers star and current client Brian Propp
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Published and copyrighted in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 21, Issue 3 (June 2024)
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