Dry mouth, snoring, and waking up out of your sleep to take a deep breath, does this sound familiar? Well, these are common symptoms of a sleep disorder called “Sleep Apnea”. If this happens to you, you are not alone, according to studies done by the “American Association for Respiratory Care” more than 18 million adults in the U.S. are experiencing the same thing. This can occur when the airway is constricted by an obstruction like the tongue, palate, or tonsils. This type of Sleep apnea treatment is called “Obstructive Sleep Apnea”. Our treatment can ease your sleep apnea symptoms and might help prevent heart problems. Listed below are a few more facts about this disorder:
- People with sleep apnea can stop breathing as many as 30 times or more each night.
- People sometimes fall asleep unexpectedly during the day, such as while talking on the phone or driving.
- Studies have linked this disorder to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
- Sleep apnea in children has been linked to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
- People with this disorder are three times more likely to be involved in motor vehicle accidents.
- Officials estimate 10 million Americans have the condition but have not been diagnosed.
- Often a spouse or other family member is the first to notice its signs in someone with the condition.
- Losing even 10 percent of body weight can help reduce the number of times a person with sleep apnea stops breathing during sleep.
Know more about its facts:
At first glance, this may sound like a non-threatening situation that you can simply ignore. However, this can be severe and dangerous if left undiagnosed and treated properly. Some people with sleep apnea tend to sleep with their mouths open. This can create problems in your mouth causing tooth decay while also creating a habitat prone to germs allowing them to cultivate and breed due to the lack of saliva. Sleep apnea treatment is an option for those exhibiting signs and the treatments vary in degree of severity.
There are multiple sleep apnea treatments, one of them being surgery for adults. The procedure is called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and involves removing the tonsils and tissue in the back of the throat. The success rate of this surgery is around 50% and still may not eliminate the need for other treatment options. The reason for this low success rate is because the airway obstruction. A less invasive option is the Cpap treatment mask which you can get from your healthcare provider. The mask goes over your nose and/or mouth and blows air into your airway while you sleep, helping to open up the passageway. The air pressure is just enough to help open the airways and can be adjusted with the guidance of your doctor.
An easier and more simplistic treatment would be a mouth guard. This guard can be obtained from your dentist like the ones here at Lakeview Dental of Coral Springs. The mouth guard helps create space by adjusting the position of the tongue and lower jaw. This also triples in benefits by aiding in snoring and bruxism or teeth grinding if that affects you as well.
Your Coral Springs dentist can help determine which treatment plan is best for you. The approximate cost for a sleep apnea mouth guard starts around $495 without insurance. Lakeview Dental of Coral Springs has many payment options offered to our patients if this topic would be of interest to you.
We would love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have.