When to See a Dentist for Your Sleep Disorder

How are you sleeping? Do you find yourself drowsy and irritable during the day? Does your partner complain of your snoring? When it comes to sleep, quality matters. In fact, one of the most disruptive sleep conditions is sleep apnea, which causes several pauses in breathing throughout the night. Unfortunately, this rarely goes unscathed during the day. Untreated sleep apnea can wreak havoc on your overall health, including heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea occurs when tissues or other structural problems partially block the airway and obstruct sufficient oxygen. Patients may wake up gasping for air as the body receives signals that it is not getting enough air. It is also common for sleep apnea sufferers to snore, as the tissue around the air passage relaxes and vibrates to create an audible annoyance.

Treating Sleep Apnea

Like many other health conditions, there is more than one way to treat sleep apnea and each patient can have a different success story. Sleep apnea can be resolved with surgery, breathing machines (CPAP device) or simple lifestyle changes (stop smoking, lose weight, side sleep). However, not all patients respond to these measures or tolerate them well. If you can’t find comfort in sleeping with a bulky CPAP machine or continue to snore despite your recent weight loss, it may be time to talk to your dentist.

At Hollon Dental, we proudly treat sleep apnea using oral appliance therapy, which proves to be an effective, comfortable and convenient solution for many patients. A custom oral sleep appliance is designed to support your lower jaw in a forward position and create more open space of your airway while you sleep. Our night guards can help prevent sleep apnea episodes snoring as well as protect the teeth from teeth grinding.

To learn your candidacy for oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea, call our Mobile dental practice today.