Kristin Dillow is a dental hygienist and the clinical sleep director for Wainright & Wassel DDS in Raleigh, NC. She received a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from West Virginia University in 2006, and a master’s degree in dental hygiene education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014.

Since her time in graduate school, Kristin has pursued training on the screening and management of dental patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Her clinical research, “Patient response to sleep apnea screening in a dental practice” was awarded the AADSM Research Excellence Award and was recently published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Under the direction of the dentists at Wainright & Wassel DDS, Kristin helps manage the sleep apnea program, which offers oral appliance therapy as an alternative to CPAP. Kristin also educates dental hygienists and assistants on screening patients for OSA and recognizing common signs and symptoms. Kristin can be reached at Kristin@northraleighdentist.com

Kristin is originally from West Virginia and forever a Mountaineer! She started working at Wainright & Wassel DDS in 2007 shortly after she moved to Raleigh. Kristin received a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from West Virginia University in 2006, and a master’s degree in dental hygiene education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014.

Since her time in graduate school, Kristin has pursued training on the management of dental patients with sleep apnea. Her research entitled “Patient response to sleep apnea screening in a dental practice” was awarded the AADSM Research Excellence Award and was recently published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Under the direction of our dentists, Kristin helps manage the sleep apnea program at Wainright & Wassel DDS, which offers oral appliance therapy as an alternative to CPAP. Click [here] to learn more about oral appliance therapy.

Kristin is a member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and West Virginia University School of Dentistry Alumni Association. She currently serves as Vice President of the Durham-Orange Dental Hygiene Association and is also Adjunct Assistant Professor at UNC- Chapel Hill School of Dentistry.

Kristin and her husband, Nelson, enjoy spending time on their farm with their dog, Milo. They also love traveling and watching West Virginia football!

Sleep Apnea Expert

Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you snore?
We can help!

Sleep apnea and snoring often occur together causing the airway to:
Narrow, limiting airflow as you breathe
Vibrate, commonly heard as snoring
Collapse, so you briefly stop breathing

An oral appliance holds your jaw in a forward position, which reduces airway collapse and helps prevent obstruction and snoring.

Enjoy the lightweight, low profile design of an oral appliance!

Tired of being tired?

You could have Sleep Apnea

Approximately 25 million adults in the U.S. have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can cause them to stop breathing hundreds of times a night for a few seconds to more than a minute. Untreated sleep apnea can reduce a person’s quality of life and lead to the development of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and depression.

An oral appliance is a custom-fit device, similar to a mouth guard that is worn during sleep. The appliance works by bringing the lower jaw forward, which helps maintain an open airway, improve breathing, and reduce snoring. Oral appliance therapy is an effective treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea and snoring, and for those who cannot tolerate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).1

A doctor will determine if you have sleep apnea after you complete an overnight sleep study at a sleep center or a home sleep apnea test. Once a diagnosis is made, an appropriate treatment option will be recommended, which may include an oral appliance, CPAP, or surgery.

If you are interested in learning more about oral appliance therapy, please contact our office.

Let us help you get better sleep!