Sleep Apnea Treatment – Columbia, TN
Better Sleep Is Within Your Reach
Countless millions of people struggle with a disorder known as sleep apnea. It can make you feel exhausted, downgrade your daily quality of life, and endanger your health. If you have this condition, you can be confident that better sleep is within your reach! Thanks to sleep apnea treatment from our skilled dental team in Columbia, you could soon be on your way to more rejuvenating rest. Continue reading to learn more about this advanced service.
Why Choose Beck Dental Care for Sleep Apnea Treatment?
- Convenient Oral Sleep Appliance Therapy
- Comfortable CPAP Alternative
- Improve Your Overall Health
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing while a person is asleep. It can make you feel exhausted on a daily basis, cause mood swings, and make it difficult for you to concentrate at work. It is often associated with frequent nighttime urination, morning headaches and sore throats, and many other symptoms.
There are a few types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common. It occurs when tissues in the throat block the free flow of air. People with OSA are usually loud snorers. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send proper breathing signals to the body, and mixed sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea.
The Dangers of Sleep Apnea
While sleep apnea might seem like nothing more than an annoyance, it is actually a very serious condition. It can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, dementia, preterm birth, obesity, and other dangerous medical problems. If it is allowed to remain untreated for too long, it can greatly increase your chance of early death!
Sleep apnea can also endanger you when you are on the road. Driving while drowsy could slow down your reaction times and increase your risk of being in a collision.
It can even have an impact on your emotional health. Sleep apnea is associated with heightened rates of depression and anxiety.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
To get treated for sleep apnea, you must first receive an official diagnosis. Sleep testing is non-invasive; all you have to do is spend a night hooked up to some sophisticated monitoring equipment. A doctor will analyze the results and let you know if you have a sleep disorder.
CPAP therapy is the most common way to address obstructive sleep apnea. It is very effective because it uses pressurized air to prevent pauses in breathing. However, many people find the machine to be cumbersome and uncomfortable.
Here at Beck Dental Care, we offer a more convenient alternative: oral appliance therapy. We can design a custom device, which resembles a mouthguard, to gently reposition your jaw while you sleep. It can thereby keep your airway open and allow you to breathe without interruption throughout the night.
Sleep Apnea FAQs
Finding out that you have sleep apnea can be frightening, but with the right form of treatment, it’s completely possible to overcome the disorder and improve the quality of your slumber. We’re here to help you take whatever steps are necessary to deal with sleep apnea; if you have any questions, all you need to do is let our team know. In the following FAQs, we’ve compiled answers to a few of the questions that past patients have brought to our attention.
Does Everyone Who Snores Have Sleep Apnea?
Snoring is very closely associated with sleep apnea. In fact, it has been found that roughly 94% of patients who have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea snore. But despite this relationship, the fact of the matter is that snoring does not necessarily guarantee that you have sleep apnea. In general, symptoms alone are not enough to determine whether or not you are suffering from a sleep disorder. This is why sleep testing is necessary before you pursue any sort of sleep apnea treatment.
Will My Sleep Apnea Go Away If I Lose Weight?
Weight and sleep apnea are often very closely linked. People who are overweight may be more likely to experience obstructions of the airway during the night due to an excessive amount of tissue in the throat. By losing weight, you can often decrease the amount of tissue around your airway, which in turn can improve your sleep apnea symptoms.
However, there is no guarantee that sleep apnea will go away even after you lose weight. Another sleep test will need to be performed to see if your symptoms are still present.
How Should I Clean My Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance?
Once you receive your oral appliance, our team will give you instructions for taking care of it. Regular cleanings are essential for getting rid of the harmful organisms that could potentially lead to serious oral health issues.
You should always clean your oral appliance immediately after taking it out of your mouth in the morning. Give it a very gentle brushing before rinsing it off. After drying your appliance, make sure that it is safely stored in its case. It may also be a good idea to periodically soak your oral appliance in a denture cleaner.
Can I Have Oral Appliance Therapy If I Grind My Teeth?
Many people with sleep apnea also have bruxism, meaning they involuntarily grind their teeth while they’re asleep. The good news is that bruxism will not prevent you from having oral appliance therapy performed. In fact, wearing an oral appliance can actually have the side benefit of protecting your smile from bruxism-related damage. This is due to the fact that the appliance will prevent your upper and lower rows of teeth from making direct contact with each other, thus significantly reducing the harmful effects of grinding.