Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that affects your breathing. It is often characterized by loud snoring that eventually leads to a complete obstruction of your airway. As your breathing is obstructed it interrupts your sleep and prevents you from getting adequate rest at night.
How is sleep apnea treated? Can it be cured? Learn the answers to these questions and more about sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder that affects your sleep. When you lay down at night and fall asleep, especially on your back, your tongue and the soft tissues of your mouth slide back toward your throat and block your airway. Snoring is a sign of a partially blocked airway caused by vibrations of your mouth tissues as your breath moves over them.
Sleep apnea occurs when your airway becomes completely blocked and you stop breathing for seconds or even a minute or more. As your brain registers the lack of oxygen it rouses you from sleep enough that you can change positions and resume breathing. This interrupts your natural sleep cycles throughout the night, preventing you from achieving quality, restful sleep.
Treatment for Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is typically treated in one of two ways:
- Oral appliance. An oral appliance is a custom made mouthpiece you wear at night that positions your jaw to prevent your tongue and throat tissues from sliding back to block your airway.
- CPAP machine. A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine consists of a mask you wear over your mouth and nose that delivers a constant flow of air that keeps your airway open while you sleep.
Many patients prefer an oral appliance because it is quiet, comfortable, and compact for easy travel.
Possible Cures for Sleep Apnea
In some situations sleep apnea can be permanently cured with specific treatments and surgical procedures:
- Tonsillectomy. If the cause of your sleep apnea is enlarged tonsils or adenoids, they can be removed to open your airway.
- Jaw surgery can change the shape of your jaw so that your tongue sits properly against the roof of your mouth and won't slide back toward your throat.
- Orthodontic treatment. Braces or Invisalign may be able to change the shape of your jaw and the position of your teeth enough to cure your sleep apnea.
- Laser therapy. There is a laser procedure that can tighten up the tissues of your throat to prevent them from relaxing and collapsing while you sleep.
Benefits of Sleep Apnea Treatment
Getting treatment or seeking a cure for your sleep apnea offers many benefits:
- You’ll get better quality sleep and feel more rested when you wake up.
- You’ll have more energy throughout the day.
- You have a better chance of avoiding other health issues such as heart disease and stroke.
- Your immune system will be stronger so you are more likely to avoid getting sick.
- Your partner can get better quality sleep.
Who Treats Sleep Apnea?
Not every case of sleep apnea requires a visit to a sleep specialist. Talk to your dentist about your snoring and sleep apnea symptoms for a much simpler diagnosis and treatment option.
Hamden Dental Arts provides sleep apnea treatment in the form of custom made oral appliances. When you come to us with your symptoms we can provide a diagnosis and solution that will help you sleep better at night and have more energy throughout the day.
Call 203-248-7400 or contact us to learn more and schedule an appointment.
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. It can cause symptoms such as snoring, pauses in breathing, and excessive daytime fatigue. In severe cases, sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. People who suffer from it often struggle to get a good night’s rest, affecting their overall health and quality of life. While there is no way to cure sleep apnea completely, there are ways to reverse the condition or make the symptoms less noticeable.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that affects the quality of sleep. It occurs when an individual’s breathing is interrupted or stops during sleep, causing frequent pauses in breath. These pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and occur multiple times per night. Various factors, including lifestyle choices, medical conditions, and anatomical features, can cause sleep apnea. In some cases, it can even be inherited. Sleep apnea can cause serious health risks, including high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, and even death if left untreated.
Is Sleep Apnea Curable?
There is no cure for sleep apnea; however, with proper diagnosis and treatment, many people can successfully manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. Various treatments for sleep apnea are available, ranging from lifestyle modifications and dental appliances to more invasive interventions such as surgery or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy.
Causes of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing stops and starts during sleep. It can have a number of different causes, including anatomical issues with the upper airway, or it can be caused by lifestyle factors such as smoking and being overweight. People who are male, over 40 years of age, and have large tonsils, small jaw bones, a deviated septum, or sinus problems may also be at risk for developing the condition. Other possible causes include certain medications, alcohol and drug use, hormonal imbalances, and neurological disorders.
Treatment for Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that can have serious consequences if left untreated. Fortunately, various treatments are available to treat sleep apnea symptoms, ranging from lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, avoiding alcohol, and sleeping on your side, to dental appliances and CPAP machines. Dental appliances are popular choices for mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea. These devices work by moving the lower jaw forward to increase the size of the airway. Surgery may also be used in some cases to correct underlying conditions, such as a deviated septum, causing sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Treatment in Hamden, CT
At Hamden Dental Arts, we offer comprehensive treatment options for sleep apnea. Our team of experienced dentists specializes in treating all types of sleep apnea conditions and can provide a customized treatment plan that will fit your specific needs. From oral appliances to CPAP machines, Hamden Dental Arts has the expertise to help you get a restful night’s sleep. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you by calling 203-248-7400 or request an appointment online.
If you’ve ever woke up gasping for air or felt extremely fatigued after a night’s sleep, then it’s possible you have a disorder known as sleep apnea.
Aside from these symptoms, how can you tell if you have sleep apnea?
Let’s discuss what it really is, the signs and symptoms, and how your local dentist can help with sleep apnea treatment.
What is Sleep Apnea
Many people think sleep apnea is simply loud snoring, and while that is a symptom, there are several patients with sleep apnea who don’t snore at all.
Sleep apnea is a condition when a person experiences shallow breathing or stops breathing for a period of time while sleeping. Sometimes, these sleep disruptions are followed by loud snoring. There are three types of categories in which this disorder is classified:
- OSA – Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea that occurs when the throat muscles relax and block airways.
- CSA – Central sleep apnea is rare and often connected with a history of neurological conditions, heart attacks, and strokes. However, CSA can occur in healthy people as well. It’s when the signals from the brain are disrupted and don’t reach the muscles that help you breathe.
- Complex Sleep Apnea – This is a mixed combination of OSA and CSA.
Any person can have sleep apnea; however, risk factors such as age, family history, and hormonal imbalances put certain individuals at higher risk.
Signs of Sleep Apnea
Individuals with sleep apnea may not know they have the disorder unless someone tells them. This is because most signs and symptoms only happen while sleeping. However, there are indications you may experience during waking hours that point to a problem.
For example, if you wake up during the night choking or gasping for air, or if you wake up with a headache or dry mouth, it’s possible you’re experiencing sleep apnea. If you feel excessively fatigued or sleepy during the day or have regularly poor sleep quality, those are also signs of a problem.
You can also pay close attention to your teeth for signs and symptoms. Teeth grinding, which often leads to receding gums, damaged teeth, and cavities, is a leading oral indicator of sleep apnea. During routine exams, dentists also look for redness in the throat, a tongue with scalloped edges, and small jaws, as these are all signs of sleep apnea.
How a Dentist Can Help with Sleep Apnea
When left untreated, sleep apnea can cause long-term health issues. It’s also associated with problems like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. The earlier you can get a diagnosis, the better chances you have of resolving sleep problems, as well as other health and dental issues.
Working together, physicians and dentists can find an accurate treatment plan unique to your situation. Physicians will often prescribe PAP machines where patients wear a special mask that promotes airflow. If the condition is caused by inflammation, surgery may also be a recommendation.
A dentist will recommend a simple, removable oral appliance similar to bite guards. This will help with teeth grinding because the device holds the tongue and jaw in place so that it’s not obstructing your airway.
The professionals at Hamden Dental Arts tailor services to your individual dental health. With extensive experience in helping patients find sleep apnea relief, our team helps patients find the right oral device that is fit for them.
Schedule an appointment to learn more about how our team can help with sleep apnea, or call 203-248-7400.
Obstructive sleep apnea makes it difficult to live life to the fullest by putting you in a state of constant sleep deprivation. Despite this, it’s common to suffer silently for years before receiving a definitive diagnosis. Sleep apnea can cause dozens or even hundreds of pauses in breathing, but even though these pauses jolt your body out of deep, restorative sleep, you’re unlikely to have any recollection of them upon waking. Dr. Halim specializes in treating sleep apnea so you can finally get a good night’s rest and wake up feeling refreshed.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues in the airway relax and block the flow of oxygen. The telltale sign of sleep apnea is pauses in breathing while sleeping, but unless someone else observes this as it happens, you won't know about it unless you wake up gasping for air or feeling as if you’re choking. This means sleep apnea is often diagnosed by the following related symptoms:
- Morning headaches, sore throats, and dry mouth
- Never feeling well-rested upon waking, even with eight or more hours of sleep
- Persistent exhaustion throughout the day
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mood disorders, including anxiety and depression
- Trouble focusing at work or in school
If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, we recommend that you get a sleep study to determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea or another sleep disorder.
Consequences of Untreated Sleep Apnea
We all need at least eight hours of sleep each day for our mental and physical health. Sleep is important for your emotional well-being, too, which is why you feel tired, angry, and easily overwhelmed when you’re sleep deprived. Your work performance may decline as a result of untreated sleep apnea, you may have difficulty meeting family obligations, and you’re even at a higher risk of being involved in a car accident.
Obstructive sleep apnea can also have serious long-term health consequences, including an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. There’s a link between sleep apnea and high levels of cortisol and increased blood pressure, which is a sign that your body is under stress.
Best Sleep Apnea Treatment
The most well-known sleep apnea treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, but this isn’t necessarily the best solution for everyone, particularly those with mild to moderate sleep apnea. Many patients find CPAP machines uncomfortable, so much so that they may interfere with their sleep.
Dr. Halim offers oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea, which involves a custom-made oral appliance that repositions the lower jaw and tongue to engage the soft tissues and prevent them from relaxing and blocking the airway. Patients find that these appliances are more comfortable, easier to clean, and better for travel than CPAP machines. For many people, OAT is an effective treatment option that allows them to avoid CPAP therapy.
Learn More About Sleep Apnea
Do you suspect that you have obstructive sleep apnea? Have you been diagnosed with sleep apnea and are looking for an alternative to a CPAP machine? Contact us today at 203-248-7400 to schedule an appointment for a consultation.