Your Path To Sleep and Sinus Success with ADVENT

‍How We Find the Right Sleep & Sinus Solutions For You

So you're sick and tired of not being able to breathe, right? Maybe you heard one of those catchy jingles on the radio and now you want to "breathe well with simple solutions'' because "ADVENT knooows...dot com!" And now you're wondering if we're the real deal…if your issues are (literally or figuratively) all in your head…if there is actually hope in getting your life back.

Now you've taken the first step - well actually, if you're like most patients we see, you're more likely on the 5th or 6th step, because you've tried just about everything else. You've seen your physician. You've visited allergists or other ENTs. You've tried all the sprays and pills and over-the-counter-anything that could possibly provide relief. And yet, your pain and frustration remains.

Maybe your breathing issues feel new to you. Or maybe you haven't breathed through your nose in decades and thought it was normal - that everybody breathes this way.

Maybe you snore and have sleep apnea, or have seasonal or year-round allergies. Or maybe you suffer from chronic sinus infections, sore throats, and constant nasal congestion.

Maybe you're feeling hopeful for relief-finally. Or maybe you're feeling hopeless after months or even years of being let down time and time again. With no answers, no meaningful results and virtually no one who cares that you're suffering.

Here's the thing: You don't have to suffer. You shouldn't have to suffer. Your issues are completely manageable and treatable, however most often they're not addressed the right way. Because of how big-box healthcare is structured, you're simply prescribed ways to treat your symptoms for short-lived relief, rather than solving the root cause that can lead to permanent results. That's why ADVENT is different.

We take a patient-first approach by starting with YOU and your goals for better breathing. We don't just throw the same one-size-fits-few solutions at you while also knowing you'll be back for more treatment. No, our mission is to treat you for the long haul, so that you never have to set foot in an ENT office again (or at least for a very long time!) By tackling the root causes, we prioritize permanent solutions over surface-level options that only mask your symptoms.

It's crucial that you feel 100% comfortable with your journey with ADVENT, after all it is a life-changing decision. It is an investment, of both time and money, into the rest of your life. Into your health, happiness and overall well-being for years to come. And after being let down up until this point, it's normal to feel apprehensive about how it works and what we can do for you. In order to bring you that level of comfort required to make ADVENT your choice for life-altering and long-lasting relief, it's important to understand just what you can expect.  

ADVENT Patient Journey: Your Path to Sinus and Sleep Success

YOU ARE HERE: You have sleep or sinus issues…and it's time you do something about them

• You frequently suffer from nose, sinus, sleep, allergy, snoring issues or sleep apnea - maybe just one, maybe some, maybe even all. And by this point, you've tried just about everything to treat them and nothing has worked.
• You are tired of feeling alone and dismissed by the healthcare system and life in general. You want to finally sleep well, breathe better and feel like you have control over your own health so…You seek help from ADVENT.

Step 1: You visit an ADVENT office near you and together we identify your goals

"What brings you in to see us?" Your first visit will be with a skilled and knowledgeable Medical ENT. It is their job to sense and understand the issues you're dealing with. This is also when your history of symptoms, treatment, and medications will be covered.

Setting and identifying your goals early in the process is important for the results stages of your treatment to ensure your initial concerns are addressed. Knowing exactly what you're dealing with, what you've already tried, and setting expectations will increase our (You and us, we're in this together!) chances of success!

Step 2: You have your Breathing Triangle examined and evaluated at your first office visit

To determine what is wrong, and to be able to effectively treat the root cause and not just your symptoms, we need to evaluate your Breathing Triangle. This is your nose and throat, including your nostrils and sinuses. Think of it as the doorway to your airway. This term is unique to ADVENT and it's all we do. We avoid falling into the trap of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, which allows us to be really thorough and efficient in this one area-the area where your issues likely originate.

During this evaluation, we use a nasal endoscopy - a tiny camera and light - to examine your ears, nose, mouth, throat, and lining in your nose. (In case you were wondering) here are a few of the things we are looking at and checking for:

• How tight is your airway?
• Is there drainage or inflammation?
• What do the turbinates and septum look like?
• Are there nasal polyps or other obstructions?

With the scope we are not yet able to see the sinuses themselves, however, it does allow us to explore the passageways to them, which can begin to tell us what's really going on inside your nose. This critical step leads to establishing a proper care plan.

Some medications may help alleviate some of your symptoms, but not before we evaluate and identify the problem. Following this examination, if we discover inflammation, a trial of nasal decongestant spray may be prescribed to determine if this will help settle down your nose's lining.

Step 3: We take a closer look with a CT Scan and optional at-home sleep study

At your next visit, to further and more accurately investigate your anatomy, we'll give you a simple CT Scan in the office. If you have sleep concerns, we also may send you home with a sleep study to determine if you have OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). At this point, it doesn't matter which occurs first, just plan them however they best fit into your schedule. You are in control.

A CT Scan is where we get the most thorough picture of your airway anatomy prior to undergoing any procedures. It's the blueprint of what's going on inside your nose and sinuses and will help us identify the issues obstructing your airflow. Here's where we can ask, "what is your anatomy telling us? What is contributing to your fatigue, inability to stay asleep, morning headaches, snoring, etc…?" Before we treat any other issues, we need to figure out if your nose works as it should. Because, if your nose isn't working properly, you won't breathe properly. And if you're not breathing properly, no treatment options will work either.

Unlike most practices, we actually house our own CT scanner in each of our offices. This means you get to avoid scheduling another appointment at a separate facility, like a hospital. Plus, our machines are much smaller, and specifically engineered for airway imaging, meaning we get better results while exposing you to 94% less radiation. Best of all, you won't have to make a separate appointment to review your scan. Immediately following your scan, you'll meet with a Medical Provider to walk through the results. From here, we can make a proper diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that's right for you.

Fair Warning: The CT Scan step is where many ADVENT patients stop their journey. Why does this happen? Well, for various reasons, everything from dealing with the complexity of insurance to a lack of understanding of why a CT scan is necessary. Think about it this way: would you allow an architect to build you a house without a blueprint? Without it, they're simply just guessing and not fully applying their unique skill set, plus they run a higher risk of getting it wrong. You wouldn't make this mistake with your trusted home, why would you do this with your fragile health? For the most accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan, it's vital that you are committed to this crucial step. If you have any questions about your CT visit, please ask us. We're here to ensure you have complete confidence in every step of the ADVENT Patient Journey!

Step 4: Plan and schedule for your medical management

This step might feel more of the same-sprays, steroids, antibiotics, allergy testing-but these things are often required by insurance. More helpfully, they can ignite the process of healing and reduce inflammation so that when the time comes for your procedure, you're already on the path to success.

Also at this stage, you will have a clear treatment plan created just for you by your physician. You will have an overview of your procedure, schedule, and a clear understanding of what to expect.

Step 5: You undergo a life-changing, in-office procedure

Based on our findings and your unique care plan, we will apply simple solutions that treat your root problems rather than continuing to mask your symptoms. There are several options to correct these issues, all safe and most can be performed right in the office. The most common treatment options are:

• Balloon Sinuplasty - This procedure expands the sinus openings and results in better breathing and almost zero downtime.
• Turbinate Reduction - This is the process of reducing enlarged nasal tissue, allowing air to flow more freely without obstruction.
• Nasal Cryotherapy with Clarifix® - A small probe freezes the overactive nerves inside your nose that tell it to run, drip or swell.

Depending on the severity of your root problems, surgical treatments may also be a course of action. This could mean Endoscopic Sinus Surgery to open up blocked sinuses, Septoplasty to straighten the bone and cartilage between your nostrils, Snoreplasty to stiffen your soft palate or Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) that reduces tissue from your throat and roof of your mouth.

All of the in-office procedures we provide essentially do the same thing: they make your nose work like it's meant to so you can breathe the way you were designed to breathe - through your nose! And doing this is important because proper breathing through your nose can eliminate a long list of obvious problems like constant congestion, a nose that runs like a faucet, pain, and discomfort, inability to breathe through one or both nostrils, and chronic infection. Plus, a nose that doesn't work properly can lead to many sleep issues as well.

We are designed to breathe through our noses because it's the pathway where the air we inhale is warmed, humidified, and cleared of dust and debris.  But what's more, not treating your breathing can lead to more severe damage and disease downstream. Many people don't realize the significant impact disorders like sleep apnea can have on the brain and the body.

Step 6: Success! You're on your way to better breathing

After your procedure, you will be given a carefully built treatment plan for you to follow at home that's designed to help guide you on your road to recovery. Within just a few weeks, sometimes just days or even hours, you will begin to notice the results.

For more sleep-related breathing issues, follow-up treatment to these procedures can also mean sleep devices like a CPAP machine or oral appliance. Again, we understand if you scoff at the same solutions other providers have already thrown at you. ("I've tried that already, I thought ADVENT was supposed to be different?") The thing is, these devices simply won't work if your nose isn't working. If you're trying to force air in your obstructed nose, it's not going to be effective and it likely won't be very comfortable.

You may think you breathe fine through your nose, but it might be more obstructed or restricted than you realize. Think of it as drinking water through a skinny straw or wide straw. Either way, you get the water, it's just much easier and better through a wide straw. Following your successful procedure, your anatomy will be more open and free of obstructions, allowing air to pass through the way your body is designed for.

You will feel back in control of your life. Feeling clear-minded and carefree, you will be able to fall in love with your life again, re-engaging in the things you once enjoyed most. Whether that's playing volleyball like Andy, playtime with your kids like Jessica, or even just getting a good night's sleep like Alan. These long-term solutions can be the answer to your prayers.

Finding Hope: Long-Term Solutions for Breathing & Sinus Issues

ADVENT may not be right for everyone. But if you're someone who is tired of suffering, tired of being let down, and just plain tired, we have options that can get you where you want to be.

And let's face it: you're a busy and active adult with responsibilities that cannot be interrupted by chronic days of being exhausted, in a brain-fog or feeling just plain lousy. That's why we designed our clear patient journey with the best, quickest and safest options. The same no-brainer choices you'd make for yourself. Think about this, if you had to choose, would you rather…

• Undergo a high-radiation imaging scan at a large, busy hospital, OR a small low-dose scan in the same office as your care provider and all your other appointments?
• Stay overnight in a cold, uncomfortable sleep center in a bed and environment that's going to alter your sleep and skew your study results OR undergo a sleep study with a small, nonintrusive device in the comfort of your home?
• Go under anesthesia and under the knife in a hospital operating room, followed by a long recovery period that takes you away from work and your family, OR experience a simple in-office procedure that gets you back to your life practically immediately and delivers life-altering results?

The answers are simple, and they're all right here.

We can help you achieve your goals of better breathing and sleeping. Now with a thorough understanding of the patient journey-and yes, as you can see, it is a journey-there shouldn't be anything stopping you! So, what are you waiting for? Schedule your first patient visit with ADVENT now and let's get you on the path of breathing and sleeping better!