Sleep Apnea Treatment – Houston, TX Helping You & Your Smile Rest Easy
Whatever you may have thought, tooth and gum issues aren't the only dilemmas your mouth can have. A problem with your oral cavity could give you a case of sleep apnea, putting your whole body at risk. The good news is that our practice will gladly help you with this situation! Thanks to our sleep apnea treatment in Houston, we at Dr. Rich’s office can help you snooze soundly again. Learn more about it by reading below or book a consultation today!
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a severe disorder that (briefly) causes you to stop breathing while asleep. Its effects force you to wake up enough to breathe, resulting in a loss of crucial rest.
The disorder’s most common form is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which occurs when throat muscles block airflow into the lungs. OSA’s main symptoms are the following:
- Loud or Excessive Snoring
- Persistent Daytime Fatigue
- Gasping for Air During Sleep
- Dry Mouth Upon Awakening
- Morning Headache
- Irritability
In rarer cases, a patient can suffer from two other major forms. The first one is central sleep apnea (CSA) – a condition where the brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Form two is treatment-emergent or “complex” sleep apnea, which has elements of both OSA and CSA.
The Dangers of Sleep Apnea
While sleep apnea may seem harmless at first, it presents a grave danger to your health. Leaving it untreated could do a lot of damage to your body.
For starters, sleep apnea elevates the risk of life-threatening conditions. Studies show that people with it tend to have heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure. Similarly, sleep apnea makes you more likely to develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. All these issues can prove deadly if they aren’t dealt with quickly and correctly.
There’s also the fact that sleep apnea lowers quality of life, even when it isn’t life-threatening. The disorder is known to cause chronic fatigue, depression, and issues with memory and focus. If left unchecked, your sleep problem would trigger a large decline in your mental well-being.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
While many doctors treat sleep apnea with a CPAP machine, our practice takes a different approach. We emphasize proper diagnosis followed by a stretch of oral appliance therapy.
As a precaution, Dr. Rich will first refer you to a great sleep doctor for diagnosis. They’ll perform a close exam and other steps to see if you really have sleep apnea. If you do, you’ll return to our office for qualified treatment.
We would treat your sleep apnea with simple and effective oral appliance therapy. For this service, Dr. Rich provides you with a small mouthpiece to wear each night while asleep. The device shifts your jaws slightly to keep your airway open, ensuring you get deep and uninterrupted rest. As many as 90% of patients see increased sleep quality from using it.
Sleep Apnea FAQs
Can My Dentist Diagnose Sleep Apnea?
No. A dentist can screen for sleep apnea, but in order for the problem to be properly diagnosed, you will need the help of a sleep doctor. Once you have undergone a sleep test (which can be completed in a laboratory or at home depending on the method used), a sleep doctor can analyze your results and determine whether sleep apnea is truly responsible for your symptoms.
You can only start exploring your options for treatment once you have received a proper diagnosis. Depending on how severe your symptoms are, our team may be able to help you get a better night’s sleep with a personalized oral appliance.
Who Is Most At Risk for Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is very common in people who are obese or overweight; this is due to the presence of excess body fat around the neck, which can end up narrowing or blocking the airway. On top of that, men are about two to three times more likely to develop sleep apnea than women. That said, women who are pregnant or post-menopausal have an elevated chance of developing the disorder.
It's essential to remember that even people without any of these risk factors could still potentially develop sleep apnea. Thus, no matter who you are, you should make sure that you’re aware of the warning signs associated with sleep-disordered breathing. That way, you’ll know when you need to seek a diagnosis from a professional.
Can I Have Oral Appliance Therapy If I Grind My Teeth?
Some people grind their teeth while they’re asleep, which is a condition known as bruxism. While this might seem like something that could prevent you from wearing an oral appliance, it actually isn’t. The appliances provided by our practice are highly durable and can endure the forces of repeated teeth grinding.
In fact, oral appliance therapy can actually help address bruxism as a secondary benefit. When you wear your appliance, it will prevent your upper and lower rows of teeth from making direct contact with each other, thus protecting your smile from grinding-related damage. This is significant since many people with sleep apnea also experience bruxism.
Are There At-Home Remedies for Sleep Apnea?
There are certain ways to address sleep apnea at home. For example, your sleeping position can make a difference; sleeping on your back can worsen sleep apnea symptoms, but sleeping on your side can help reduce them. Furthermore, you can improve the quality of your slumber in general by not looking at any screens before bed (since the blue light they emit can affect your ability to fall and stay asleep) and by staying physically active during the day.
That being said, there is no at-home remedy for sleep apnea that can adequately substitute for a solution provided by a trained professional. The sooner you can begin an appropriate form of treatment, the sooner you can find relief from your symptoms and enjoy more restful nights.