DENTAL SOLUTIONS FOR SLEEP APNEA PROBLEMS

If You Feel Tired or Fall Asleep During the Day, or Wake Up Gasping for Air at Night, You May Have Sleep Apnea, a Problem That Can Often Be Alleviated Dentally.

Snoring a lot, or being told that you do? Waking up suddenly in the middle of the night, gasping for breath? Often tired during the day? These are all signs of sleep apnea, a disorder that affects millions of people in the USA – men, women, and even children.

Sleep apnea is a common condition, in which the airway closes completely, sometimes causing breathing to stop up to 100 times per hour!

It is considered sleep apnea when an adult stops breathing for at least ten seconds; or a child stops breathing for two and one-half missed breaths. There are several readily-identified risk factors for sleep apnea, including:

The good news is that there are dental treatments and appliances available to reduce or eliminate sleep apnea and its symptoms. This is welcome news especially to sleep apnea sufferers who cannot tolerate the use of CPAP machines.

Relief may be accomplished by fitting you with a sleep apnea appliance or snore guard that helps prevent the throat from closing up. The most popular of these are known as MADs (Mandibular Advancement Devices). An MAD brings your lower jaw forward and down, helping to prevent your throat from collapsing.

If you think you have sleep apnea – or know that you do and/or cannot tolerate a CPAP machine – come in for a consultation with certified sleep dentist Dr. Joseph Columbus.