Sleep Apnea Treatment Carlisle
Better Sleep Leads to Better Health
Did you know that sleep apnea affects an estimated 22 million people in the United States? What’s even more alarming is that a lot of patients don’t realize they suffer from this potentially dangerous condition. If you chronically snore or exhibit any sleep apnea symptoms, our team at Flenniken Family Dentistry strongly recommends that you undergo a screening with your general doctor or sleep specialist. Once you receive a diagnosis, we can help you start sleeping better and feeling better via oral appliance therapy. Contact our Carlisle, PA, office today if you’d like to schedule a consultation.
Why Choose Flenniken Family Dentistry for Sleep Apnea Treatment?
- High-Quality, Custom-Designed Oral Appliances
- Convenient Alternative to CPAP Therapy
- Combined Therapy Available for Qualified Patients
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when your airway becomes fully or partially blocked during sleep, leading to breathing disruptions. This occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax too much. During each episode, your body panics and slightly arouses you so you can resume breathing. These brief awakenings occur countless times every night and drastically limit the amount of necessary deep sleep that you receive.
Common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Chronic snoring
- Constant daytime exhaustion, no matter how much you slept the night before
- Significant issues with concentration and/or memory
- Morning headaches
- Dry mouth and/or throat in the morning
- Choking, gasping, or pauses in breathing during sleep (check with your spouse)
While OSA is the most common form of sleep apnea, some patients may experience central sleep apnea (CSA), which occurs when the brain does not send proper breathing signals to the body. Others have mixed or combined sleep apnea, which has characteristics of both OSA and CSA.
The Dangers of Sleep Apnea
While sleep apnea might seem like a mere annoyance at first, it can actually pose a serious threat to your overall health! It is associated with an increased risk of many problems, including:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Alzheimer’s disease
- High blood pressure
- Type 2 diabetes
- Unwanted weight gain
- Injuries and accidents
These issues can occur because OSA causes low oxygen levels and can interfere with various hormonal functions throughout the body. Sadly, many people with untreated OSA are at an increased risk of early death.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
In order to receive a sleep apnea diagnosis, you should undergo a sleep test. During this simple procedure, machines will monitor you while you sleep. After an expert analyzes the results, you may learn whether you have OSA and how severe the condition is. Then, you can start exploring treatment options.
Oral appliance therapy uses a custom device, similar to a mouthguard, that slightly readjusts the position of your tongue and/or jaw, thereby keeping the airway clear throughout the night. Oral appliance therapy is most effective for patients who are simply incompatible with traditional CPAP treatment or whose case of sleep apnea is of the mild to moderate variety.
Not every patient can benefit fully from oral appliance therapy. However, that doesn’t mean it would be entirely useless for you. An oral appliance and CPAP treatment can be combined. This can allow you to reduce the setting on your CPAP machine and have a more comfortable overall treatment experience.
Sleep Apnea (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) FAQs
Does Everyone Who Snores Have Sleep Apnea?
Snoring is an extremely common symptom of sleep apnea. This is because the same obstruction that blocks your airway often also impacts how air travels through your mouth and throat when you breathe. That said, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. It’s always good to double-check with a formal sleep study and diagnosis.
How Long Are Apnea Events or Episodes?
At least 10 seconds, and no longer than two minutes. Each episode can occur anywhere between five to 30 times every hour. The duration and frequency of your sleep apnea episodes will determine the severity of your symptoms. For example, zero to 15 episodes per hour is typically considered mild, while 30 or more episodes per hour is considered severe. No wonder patients with sleep apnea don’t feel fully rested in the morning, right?
Can My Dentist Diagnose Sleep Apnea?
No. While we can provide treatment and help you manage your sleep apnea symptoms, only a qualified sleep physician can give you an official diagnosis. This will likely involve a sleep test, where your physician will record and monitor various biomarkers while you sleep.
Getting an official sleep apnea diagnosis before starting treatment is important. The sleep test will reveal detailed information about your sleep apnea episodes so we can better personalize your care plan. It will also help rule out other reasons for your insomnia and ensure you receive the treatment you need.
Will My Sleep Apnea Go Away If I Lose Weight?
It’s possible. Excess weight can contribute to excess oral tissue and airway blockages. If you’d like to try losing weight, we encourage you to do so – as long as it’s safe for you. Even if it doesn’t “cure” your sleep apnea symptoms, it will most likely make your episodes less severe and easier to manage. Plus, many habits that promote weight loss (like exercise and eating a balanced diet) can help improve your sleep quality.
Basically, if you feel up to it and aren’t underweight, it’s worth a shot!
How Should I Clean My Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance?
Just like a mouthguard or retainer, a sleep apnea oral appliance will introduce harmful bacteria to your mouth if you don’t clean it consistently. You should:
- Gently brush and rinse your appliance after taking it out in the morning.
- Keep your appliance in a case when not in use.
- Use denture cleaner if you’d like more thorough sanitation.
