Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatments.
Is snoring a problem in your household? Do you snore yourself or are you awakened by someone else’s snoring? It’s a common problem caused by relaxed soft tissues of the mouth and throat that result in a vibration known as snoring.
What is the best snoring solution?
A custom fabricated oral appliance is fitted over your lower teeth before sleep. It’s designed to maintain your lower jaw in a slightly forward position, thereby keeping your airway open and allowing you to breathe more freely.
Sleep Apnea (Without Breath)
Snoring can also be a sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a serious health condition, which left un diagnosed and untreated, can cause headaches, memory problems, depression, high blood pressure, heart problems, including stroke, heart attacks, and ultimately heart failure.
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, sleep apnea happens when people stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night. This stoppage in breathing can last for as long as 30 seconds. And when the brain realizes that it needs air, it sends panic signals to the body to wake it up.
Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea:
- Loud snoring,
- Pauses in breathing during sleep (apnea),
- Choking or gasping during sleep,
- Sudden awakenings to restart breathing,
- Waking up in a sweat,
- Daytime sleepiness while reading, sitting or driving,
- Morning headaches or jaw joint soreness.
If you suspect you or your sleep partner has sleep apnea, we can conduct a comprehensive evaluation and refer you for a sleep study and medical assessment.
Evaluation of the head, neck, face and supporting structures
Check upper airway for obstruction
Jaw joint, jaw position and bite assessment
Intra-oral habit assessment and gag reflex
Diagnostic models
Overnight sleep study (if necessary)
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is the standard of care for patients suffering from sleep apnea. It consists of a machine that controls the flow of oxygen to a mask that you wear over your mouth and nose while you sleep.
Snoring appliances may be used alone or in combination with other means of treating obstructive sleep apnea, including general health and weight management, surgery or nasal continuous positive air pressure (CPAP). Combination therapy should be coordinated by the attending sleep physician.
Snoring appliances work in several ways:
- Re positioning the lower jaw and/or tongue,
- Stabilizing the lower jaw and tongue,
- Increasing the tone of the throat muscles.
Snoring appliance therapy can take from several weeks to several months to complete. Even after the initial phase of treatment is complete, follow-up visits should continue in order to ensure treatment remains successful and to evaluate the response of the teeth and jaws.
If you have sleep apnea and CPAP has been recommended for you, please contact our Grimsby Dental Office to make an appointment by clicking the button below.
