How Your Dentist Can Help you Get Rid of Sleeping Apnea?

Do you have Sleeping Disorder? - If you have, you are not the only one suffering from it. Millions of individuals all around the world suffer from the widespread sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. It is a condition in which a person's breathing alternately stops and starts as they sleep, disrupting their sleep cycle and depleting their body's supply of oxygen. Many health problems, such as headaches, heart disease, and daytime lethargy, can be brought on by sleep apnea.

 

Many people are not aware of the part their dentist can play in controlling their sleep apnea, despite the fact that there are several strategies to manage the issue. Your dentist may assist you with sleep apnea by recognizing the signs, offering dental appliance therapy, and collaborating with other medical specialists to create an all-encompassing treatment strategy.

 

in this blog post, we'll look at how your dentist can help you manage sleep apnea and raise your quality of life.

 

Let's first discuss what sleep apnea is and its symptoms before discussing how your dentist can assist you. A person with sleep apnea repeatedly experiences breathing pauses while they are asleep. These pauses, which can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes and happen often throughout the course of the night, can disturb sleep patterns and lower oxygen levels in the body.

 

Sleep apnea comes in three different forms:

 

When the muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open, this most prevalent form of sleep apnea results. Snoring, gasping for oxygen, and even unexpected awakenings during the night might result from this.

 

When the brain is unable to communicate with the breathing muscles during sleep, sleep apnea of this kind develops. This causes pauses in breathing or shallow breathing.

 

This type of sleep apnea is a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea.

 

 

Loud snoring is one of the most prevalent signs of sleep apnea. Snoring may be so loud that it wakes up your companion or disturbs your own sleep.

 

 

During the night, you can wake up suddenly choking or gasping for oxygen. This can indicate that your airway is obstructed and that your body is having trouble getting enough oxygen.

 

 

During the night, you might encounter breathing pauses that range anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. These gaps may go unnoticed by you, but they might disturb your sleep and make you feel exhausted when you wake up.

 

 

You can awaken with a dry mouth or sore throat if you sleep with your mouth open. This may indicate that your airway does not remain open when you sleep.

 

 

You can wake up in the morning with a headache if you have sleep apnea. This is a result of your body not receiving enough oxygen at night.

 

 

Even if you slept well the night before, if you have sleep apnea, you could feel exhausted during the day. Moreover, you can find it difficult to focus or feel agitated.

 

 

Insomnia, or a hard time getting to sleep or staying asleep, can be brought on by sleep apnea.

 

 

If you have sleep apnea, you might toss and turn all night long and wake up a lot.

 

The most frequent treatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, but many patients find it uncomfortable and difficult to endure. Fortunately, there are various ways your dentist can assist you with sleep apnea. Here are a few ways your dentist can be of assistance:

Oral appliance therapy is one of the most efficient ways dentists can treat sleep apnea. Oral appliances are made-to-order items that you can put in your mouth like a mouthguard or retainer. They function by moving your lower jaw and tongue to maintain an open airway as you sleep. For those with mild to moderate sleep apnea, oral appliances are a great option for CPAP therapy because they are convenient and comfortable.

 

Snoring is a typical sleep apnea symptom that can be bothersome for both you and your partner. Moreover, dentists can offer specially designed snore-prevention devices that stop snoring by moving your lower jaw. You and your lover can both benefit from better quality sleep thanks to these gadgets.

 

Your dentist may suggest that you see a sleep specialist for additional testing if they have reason to believe that you have sleep apnea. To evaluate the severity of your sleep apnea and the best course of therapy, a sleep specialist can conduct a sleep study.

 

Your dentist can collaborate with the rest of your medical team, including your primary care physician and sleep specialist, to create a thorough treatment plan that is tailored to your individual requirements. This teamwork can help to guarantee that you get the best possible care for your sleep apnea.

 

Your dentist can offer you advice and assistance in managing your sleep apnea. They can provide guidance on making lifestyle changes that can enhance your general health and quality of sleep, such as quitting smoking or decreasing weight. In order to maintain the effectiveness of your mouth appliance or snoring prevention device, your dentist can also offer advice on how to care for it.

 

Oral appliance therapy is the major method of treatment for sleep apnea in dental sleep medicine. The two most frequent types of oral appliances, however, are tongue-retaining devices and mandibular advancement devices. Both oral appliances are inserted into the mouth before bed, and their objectives are very similar in that they both work to keep the airway open.

 

 

Compared to mandibular advancement devices, these oral appliances are used less commonly to treat sleep apnea. They have a hole in the middle where the tongue is supposed to go, but they appear very similar to pacifiers else. During the night, the patient's tongue lies in the hole, allowing more continuous airflow to reach the back of the throat.

 

 

Dental sleep medicine frequently uses MADs. These are specialized devices that resemble mouthguards worn during athletic events. The MAD snaps over each tooth arch with upper and lower sections. The lower jaw is held forward by tiny metal hinges or elastic plastic band. This forward posture assists in maintaining an unobstructed airway.

 

 

Managing your sleep apnea might be greatly helped by your dentist. They can collaborate with your medical team, offer information and support, refer you to a sleep expert, make specialized snoring prevention devices, and treat you with oral appliances. It's critical to be checked out and to talk to your healthcare professional, including your dentist, about your symptoms if you think you could have sleep apnea. You may enhance your general health and well-being, enhance the quality of your sleep, lower your risk of issues, and more with the appropriate care.

 

So, If you think you are having symptoms that match with Sleep Apnea, then without a wait, visit Local Dental Clinic near you in Deniliquin or Finley and our Dental Experts will be happy to help you deal with your sleeping disorder.