If your roommate or sleep partner has complained about your loud snoring, you may have obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is just one of the many dental concerns that we treat at Frederick Center for Dentistry. Our trained dentists provide quality care for patients with from sleep apnea in Frederick, MD.
Together, our dental team will work with you to evaluate your smile and treat your symptoms accordingly. Because of the possible health risks of sleep apnea, you should consult with your doctor first if you suspect you could have OSA. Most doctors order sleep studies to see how severe the disorder is. Once diagnose, our dental practice provides treatment for mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
OSA is a serious sleep disorder. Patients with it will stop breathing multiple times during the evening. This occurs due to a partial or complete blockage of the airway during sleep. Muscles in the throat and tongue will relax during sleep to the point that they collapse or narrow the airway. The patient will be unable to breathe which will deprive the body of oxygen. The brain will trigger the body to wake up in order to restore normal breathing.
Even though the patient will go only a brief amount of time without oxygen, these episodes can happen many times during the night. This can severely affect a person’s quality of sleep and overall health.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
You will know if you have obstructive sleep apnea if you have pauses in breathing or take shallow breaths during sleep. However, the most obvious sign of OSA is loud snoring. The symptoms of sleep apnea will vary from patient to patient. It will depend on the severity of the condition and the individual. Other common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Loud and chronic snoring
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Frequent headaches
- Daytime fatigue and poor concentration
- Irritability and mood swings that are out of character
- Insomnia
- Frequently using the restroom at night
- Dry mouth or sore throat
- Restless sleep and tossing and turning
- High blood pressure
Treatment for Sleep Apnea in Frederick, MD
If you have often found yourself waking up and struggling to breathe, Frederick Center for Dentistry has sleep apnea treatment options for you. Sleep apnea treatment aims to keep the airway open during sleep. Our Frederick dental office offers these custom pieces for patients with a diagnosis of mild to moderate sleep apnea. A sleep apnea oral appliance is a custom mouthguard. It will reposition the jaw and tongue to help the airway remain unobstructed through the night while you sleep.
Dr. Anshu Goyal will determine if your snoring is related to sleep apnea with a thorough sleep medicine evaluation. Dr. Goyal may find that you need oral appliance therapy if you have mild to moderate sleep apnea. some common oral appliance devices include the Panthera Digital-Sleep Apnea Device, Whole You™, Micro 2 ProSomnus®, and SomnoDent Avant™.
We first recommend an oral appliance (night guard) before anything else because it is the least intrusive and most comfortable option for most patients. Oral appliances are similar to mouthguards in that they are custom-fit to each and every patient. However, they are different in the way that they open up the airway for optimal air flow, and relax jaw muscles so that you can sleep soundly.
If you have more severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea, you may need to consider CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) Therapy, or a surgical outpatient procedure. The CPAP machine is a respiratory device that is an effective treatment for OSA. It provides a continuous supply of pressurized air through a face mask or nasal prongs. This prevents the throat from collapsing and keeps the airways open at all times, even when you are sleeping on your side or back.
Sleep apnea surgery is usually the last resort. When all else fails to give you relief, your doctor may recommend that you get surgery. Surgical procedures for sleep apnea are very effective for people who have severe symptoms. Severe symptoms can include excess tissue on the sides of the throat behind the tongue, a deviated septum, or a small lower jaw with an overbite.
Sleep Apnea FAQs
To learn more about sleep apnea, read through our frequently asked questions section. If you still have more questions, please feel free to reach out to our dentist office during normal business hours.
What are the common causes of sleep apnea?
While anyone is able to develop sleep apnea, certain demographics may be more at risk. For example, if you are male and over the age of 40, you are more likely to develop sleep apnea than others. Additionally, if you have put on excess weight, have a history of smoking, or have a large neck circumference, you are also at more of a risk for developing sleep apnea.
How can a mouthguard help with sleep apnea?
A customized mouthguard helps our sleep apnea patients maintain a healthy airway as they sleep. The mouthguard will hold your jaw in a proper position to ensure that your soft tissues do not collapse on themselves as you sleep throughout the night. We design our mouthguards to fit specifically for your mouth, meaning that you maintain optimum comfort while you sleep. We may recommend CPAP machines to patients suffering from more severe cases of sleep apnea.
What are the health risks associated with sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is more than just loud snoring. It can lead to issues with diabetes, strokes, and heart disease. Maintaining a proper airway while you sleep is extremely important to your overall health and wellness. This is why we recommend seeking sleep apnea treatment sooner rather than later.
If left without treatment, obstructive sleep apnea can cause a 12 to 15 year reduction in life expectancy. It is not an issue that you can permanently cure, however you can manage it with treatment.
What can make sleep apnea worse?
While sleeping on your side may lessen apnea episodes, resting on your back frequently makes apnea worse. Your tongue and soft palate have a tendency to sink back against your throat while you lie on your back, which can make breathing more difficult.
Can you have apnea in the daytime?
Patients may experience breathing problems while awake, however most individuals describe the condition as worse at night. These short, shallow breathing periods cause the blood’s carbon dioxide level to rise as the amount of vital oxygen falls, which takes effect at all points of the day, not just at night.
What physically causes sleep apnea?
Obesity, large tonsils, or changes in hormone levels can all restrict the airway and raise the chance of developing obstructive sleep apnea. Being healthy and in good shape is a good way to combat sleep apnea. When your brain fails to send the impulses required to breathe, central sleep apnea occurs.
If you would like to learn more about custom mouthguards for sleep apnea in Frederick, MD, call our office at 301-264-5680. You may also request a dentist appointment with us online. Our expert dentists in Frederick, Maryland can help you find relief from your OSA.