Continuing a Family Tradition...

Continuing a Family Tradition...

 

Sleep Apnea


Snoring & Sleep Apnea Treatments

The dentists at Silver Dental have the experience, training and technology to evaluate and treat sleep disorder breathing – everything from simple orthotics (devices worn in the mouth) for snoring, to comprehensive sleep apnea treatments. Where necessary we work in conjunction with sleep centers and physicians to achieve the best possible results for our patients. 

What is Sleep Disordered Breathing?

Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) or snoring is the sound produced when air passes through relaxed tissue in the back of the throat, causing the characteristic rattle. Snoring shades into sleep apnea when the soft tissue is “floppy” enough that it collapses over the airway, causing an obstruction.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea affects more than 12 million Americans, including children. People affected by sleep apnea literally stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer. The heart and lungs panic, sending a distress signal to the brain. The brain, in turn, floods the body with adrenalin and quickens the heartbeat. The chest heaves as its muscles try to force the body awake in order to restore airway muscle tone and allow air to pass to the lungs again. The body succeeds; for a moment the airway opens, the individual gasps and breathes – and then promptly falls back to sleep.

Health Impacts of Sleep Apnea

In sleep apnea this can happen hundreds of times each night. The bad news is that most affected people don’t know they have sleep apnea. The individual awakenings are too short and shallow, and are not remembered in the morning. Instead sufferers notice symptoms like:

• headaches upon awakening
• daytime sleepiness
• feeling sleepy during daily activities (driving, reading, watching TV)
• awakening with a gasp or cough
• trouble staying asleep
• high blood pressure or hypertension
• feeling tired despite a full night of sleep 

Untreated sleep apnea can be debilitating, even life-threatening. The accumulated sleep deprivation can damage the cardiovascular system, cause sexual dysfunction, depression or even death from disease or accidents (such as falling asleep while driving).

How We Treat Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Silver Dental is one of only a few dental offices in the country to offer the diagnostic devices known as the Pharyngometer and Rhinometer. These state-of the-art instruments are used in simple breathing tests to measure nasal and throat airways. If a collapsed airway is noted, we offer a brief sleep study that can be performed at home. Or, we can consult with your family doctor to obtain a referral for an overnight sleep study called a polysomnogram (PSG).

In many cases of sleep disorder, a sleep orthotic is the only treatment needed. These oral appliances are FDA approved, inexpensive, non-invasive and painless, and are only worn at night. In other cases a sleep orthotic is used in combination with a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine and/or surgery. Before any therapy is performed, we recommend the patient see a sleep physician. 

There are many kinds of oral appliances available, and Silver Dental can help determine which one is right for you. Contact us to find out if Sleep Disorder Dentistry can help you.












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