Everyone snores occasionally, but if you’re snoring all the time and losing sleep, you may be suffering from what we call sleep disordered breathing, which can include sleep apnea.
Patients with sleep apnea experience an obstructed airflow that blocks oxygen from moving freely through the nose and mouth. Many patients who have sleep apnea and have struggled with using a CPAP mask find relief using a simple oral appliance available at our Alhambra dental office.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (also referred to as OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. It’s a disruptive and potentially life-threatening condition that deprives your body of a steady flow of oxygen. In the case of OSA, the airway is blocked or has collapsed, causing shallow breathing and pauses in breathing. It also causes snoring as the air squeezes past the blockage.
With OSA, a patient frequently stops breathing during sleep. Each of these pauses can occur from 5 to 30 times an hour, and each may last just a few seconds or for as long as a few minutes.
The result of sleep apnea is that sleep is disrupted (even if the patient doesn’t wake up during the night). This in turn leads to problems with concentration, memory, and excessive fatigue during the day. In addition, recent research suggests that over time sleep apnea may contribute to serious health problems including systemic disease in the arteries, heart, and brain.
Treating Sleep Apnea
Without treatment, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, heart disease, irregular heartbeats, stroke, and insulin resistance. But correcting your sleep apnea doesn’t mean you have to endure potentially painful surgery or use inconvenient equipment to breathe better.
Now there is an easy and discreet way to help you sleep better! Dentist in Alhambra at Palm View Dental has customized mouthpieces that can help you breathe easier at night, giving you the rest and energy you need during the day.
Our customized dental mouthpieces are:
- Adjustable – We’ll adjust your mouthpiece as needed to maintain comfort and effectiveness.
- Removable – Wear the mouthpiece while you sleep and take it out when you are awake.
- Convenient – The mouthpiece is small, easy to insert and remove, and there are no machines or equipment required.
- Non-surgical alternative – Using a mouthpiece requires no surgery or other alterations to your mouth.
- Comfortable – Your custom-made mouthpiece will fit your mouth securely and easily so that you do not notice it while you are sleeping.
It’s important to alert your physician to your concerns so we can work together to find the solution that’s safe and effective for you. Your doctor may order a sleep study, and based on the results, we’ll decide if our dental appliance is appropriate in your case.
We Have the Sleep Apnea Solution You Need
If you’re discouraged and have all but given up because you don’t think anything can be done about your sleep apnea, please give us a call. Our innovative treatment options treat obstructive sleep apnea with easy-to-use, comfortable dental appliances that work immediately.