Sleep Apnea Solutions
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that can cause many unpleasant symptoms while increasing your risk for various other conditions. If you have sleep apnea, it’s important to seek treatment. Receiving treatment can improve your quality of life and reduce your risks.
If you think you have obstructive sleep apnea, the sleep experts and dental professionals in [city, state] can help. We provide treatment to help our patients reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea and sleep soundly through the night.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat become so profoundly relaxed that they cover the airway, causing you to stop breathing temporarily. To begin breathing again, your body must wake you up.
People with obstructive sleep apnea may fall asleep and wake many times throughout the night. Often, people with sleep apnea don’t remember these cycles of waking and sleeping, and many people who have sleep apnea don’t know they have it.
Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Loud snoring
- Waking several times in the night
- Gasping during sleep
- Feeling exhausted even after a full night’s sleep
- Difficulty focusing
- Mood swings
- Headaches in the morning
- Daytime tiredness
- Awakening with a headache and/or dry mouth
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment
If you have obstructive sleep apnea, get treatment. The sleep experts at Waveland Family Dental may recommend lifestyle changes to help with your sleep apnea, such as avoiding alcohol before bed or exercising. Obstructive sleep apnea is also treated with a device to prevent the tongue and throat muscles from blocking the airway. This device can be an excellent alternative to CPAP machines.
Sleep Medicine
Sleep medicine involves the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sleep-related problems. As sleep disorders are common, it’s important to get screened regularly by your doctor. If left untreated, sleep conditions can increase the chance of experiencing a stroke, heart disease, depression, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other problems.
Sleep experts are continuing to learn how crucial sleep is for our overall health. If you get poor sleep, you can experience issues with mood, immunity, stress, and your overall health.
Sleep Medicine and the Mind/Body Connection
When you visit a sleep medicine doctor, they won’t just look at your sleep—they will consider how the entire body impacts the quality of your sleep.
These specialists will look at the following areas:
- Respiratory system
- Nervous system
- Circulatory system
- Endocrine system
- Musculoskeletal system
This allows these specialists to better treat their patients. By understanding how the body works together, our experts can find the best treatment for your needs.
Types of Sleep Medicine Doctors
Sleep medicine doctors come from a variety of medical specialties. All of these doctors must have professional training in sleep medicine and must qualify to become board-certified sleep specialists.
Many sleep doctors are also neurologists who focus on diagnosing and treating conditions of the nervous system, brain, and spinal cord. In some cases, neurological conditions can play a huge role in sleep problems.
Here are other specialists who may have training in sleep medicine:
- Family physicians
- Internal medicine doctors
- Psychiatrists (mental health)
- Anesthesiologists (surgical care and anesthesia)
- Pulmonologists (lungs)
- Cardiologists (heart)
- Otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat, or ENT)
- Pediatricians (infants, children, and adolescents)
Mandibular Advancement Devices (MAD)
MAD’s look similar to athletic mouth guards that fit over the upper and lower teeth. A connector then holds the upper and lower parts together while moving the lower jaw forward. When the lower jaw is moved forward, the soft tissues in the back of the mouth and throat move forward, opening the airway. Specially trained dentists can select the right device, get it custom fitted, then adjust it for maximum effectiveness.
Getting MAD’s to Treat Sleep Apnea
MAD’s should only be used when a proper diagnosis has been made with a physician and sleep testing. Depending on the severity of your condition, your physician may recommend MAD treatment with a dentist. The good news for our patients at Waveland Family Dental is that we can help! We are trained in screening, can get you to a physician and facilitate sleep testing, then custom fit you with the right MAD.
