Sleep Apnea

What is sleep apnea?

With sleep apnea, your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during your sleep. Symptoms of sleep apnea vary in severity. If you have sleep apnea, you might snore loudly, have headaches, and feel sleepy during the day. Sleep apnea has different types:

Obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea involves the temporary relaxation of your throat muscles, such as your tongue and soft palate. This affects your breathing and closes or narrows your airway.

Without sufficient air supply, you have a lower level of oxygen in your blood. Your brain jolts you awake from your sleep, so you can open your airway. These sleep disruptions can usually occur 5-30 times an hour without you even knowing it.

Central sleep apnea

Your brain and the muscles that control your breathing aren’t communicating properly if you have central sleep apnea.

Complex sleep apnea syndrome

If you have complex sleep apnea syndrome, you’re dealing with both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

What causes sleep apnea?

The cause of sleep apnea isn’t clear, and various factors might play a role, including:

• Allergies and nasal congestion
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Aging
• Alcohol and sedatives
• A narrowed airway

If you have sleep apnea, you should visit WPD Dental Group for evaluation and treatment.

How is sleep apnea treated?

WPD Dental Group provides several treatments to help you manage sleep apnea. Your dentist performs a thorough examination of your teeth, jaw, tongue, and airway, and conducts any necessary testing, such as digital X-rays or a CT scan.

WPD Dental Group provides patient education on healthy lifestyle changes, such as nutrition tips. Your dentist might also suggest an intraoral device that fits into your mouth like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer. You usually wear your sleep apnea appliance at night.

Most intraoral appliances support your jaw in a forward position to help you maintain an open upper airway.

Wearing a night guard or snore guard while you sleep can lead to improved sleep patterns, better airflow, less noisy snoring, reduced snoring frequency, and more.

Using digital or physical impressions or models of your teeth, your dentist customizes your intraoral device. Your dentist usually sends the model to a dental lab where a lab technician constructs your appliance. You return to WPD Dental Group for your fitting as well as follow-up visits for your dentist to evaluate how your treatment is working.

For top quality care for sleep apnea, visit WPD Dental Group and click or call to schedule today.