Stop Snoring and Enjoy Your Nights Again With Sleep Apnea Treatment
Sleep apnea is a progressive and potentially life-threatening sleep disorder. The most common form is called obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, and it affects millions of people worldwide.
How Does Sleep Apnea Affect Me?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. It is often accompanied by loud snoring, followed by choking or gasping when the airways relax and close.
Because your body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs during these episodes, your brain wakes you up just enough to get air again. Usually, you fall right back to sleep without ever being aware of the occurrence. Your body may even experience dozens of these episodes in a single hour.
All of this can affect the amount and quality of sleep that you get at night. Loss of sleep can eventually result in even more serious issues such as cardiovascular problems, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, excessive daytime sleepiness, problems with concentration, and mood changes.
How Do I Know If I Have Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea has many risk factors associated with it. Many of these are items that a dentist is specifically trained to notice during a routine exam. These risk factors include:
- Enlarged tonsils or tongue.
- Changes in size of the bones supporting the teeth.
- Acid reflux.
- Sinus problems.
- Deviated septum.
In order to screen for OSA, an oxygen meter will be sent home with you to measure your oxygen levels and heart rate over a three-night period. If your results demonstrate irregularities in your oxygen levels and heart rate, then more testing can be scheduled to find out the extent of your apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatments
Most cases of sleep apnea are treated with a CPAP device, which is a machine that provides continuous airflow during the night. While this is the most common treatment, it can be difficult to wear for some patients. Actually, 50% of patients given a CPAP device stop using it within the first year, continuing the damaging effects of OSA.
In these cases, a custom oral appliance can be made to hold the jaw forward and prevent the tongue from restricting your airflow during sleep. This prevents loss of oxygen and improves your quality of sleep.
Call Us Today to Learn More About Your Sleep Apnea Options
Our sleep apnea patients come from Beechwold, Clintonville, Short North, Columbus, Worthington, Upper Arlington, and other neighborhoods of the greater Columbus area.Here at Advanced Dental Wellness, we can assess whether your apnea can be treated with an oral appliance and craft a custom-made appliance to fit your needs.
If you are currently not wearing your CPAP, don’t travel with your CPAP, or would like information about an oral appliance, call 614-267-5413 or use our convenient Request an Appointment form.