Do you snore? Snoring can an indicator of a more serious health problem—sleep apnea.
When you breathe normally, air flows freely through your lungs. When you snore, the relaxation of the muscles causes the jaw and tongue to move back and block the air passage. That can limit the flow of oxygen to a person’s lungs, heart and brain. Normal breathing does not resume until you wake up.
This process can repeat itself in a short period of time. A person with sleep apnea may wake up several hundred times during an eight-hour sleep period. This can lead to chronic fatigue as well as other major health problems.
There are generally three ways to treat snoring and sleep apnea:
1) A CPAP machine that forces air down the passageway with a tube and a mask—however, the machine can be noisy, uncomfortable and cumbersome;
2) Surgery, which will cut off excess tissue and muscles that obstruct the air passageway. Surgery is expensive and irreversible
3) Oral appliances that comfortably reposition the lower jaw forward while you sleep, opening the airway by moving the tongue forward and tightening the muscle in the back of the throat.
Oral appliance for sleep apnea are custom-designed for each patient. They treat sleep apnea and snoring. They are more comfortable and accommodating than CPAP machines, because, like a mouth guard, you put it in your mouth and go to sleep, no machines or masks.
In fact, 80% percent of CPAP users prefer an oral appliance to the inconvenience of a CPAP machine for their snoring and sleep apnea.’
For more information on oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea, contact Oyster Point Dentistry.
Smarterlifestyles.com
