How To Get Your Smile Back With Sleep Apnea Treatment?

After a hard day’s work and activities, we need to sleep, as this helps the body get calm and ‘reset’ for the next day’s activities. As we sleep, the body enters a steady, relaxed state, and all body systems work as they should. However, this relaxing activity could become harmful to some persons, such that while sleeping, they tend to stop breathing for some seconds suddenly.

Sleep apnea occurs when one suddenly stops breathing while being asleep and is also recurrent. It could result in serious health problems such as hypertension and heart failure if left untreated. Sleep apnea can be responsible for work impairments, motor vehicle crashes, and poor school performance, as reported in children and adolescents. However, the good news is that it’s not a death sentence, and sleep apnea treatment options exist. Read on to find out more about sleep apnea treatment.

Sleep Apnea Types.

Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea are the two types of sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is commoner than central sleep apnea, and it happens as repetitive episodes of a complete or partial upper airway blockage during sleep. During these apnea episodes, the diaphragm and chest muscles get to work harder due to the increased pressure in opening the airway. After that, breathing resumes with either a loud gasp or a body jerk, thus making these episodes interfere with the flow of sound sleep, reduce oxygen flow to vital organs, and cause heart rhythm irregularities.

The airway stays open in central sleep apnea, but the brain fails to instruct the muscles to breathe, which is caused by instability in the respiratory control center.

How Is Sleep Apnea Identified?

The patient may not be able to decipher the first signs and symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, but it is often recognized or noticed by the bed partner or caregiver. Several of those who have been affected have made no complaints about their sleep.

Snoring is one of the most common signs and symptoms of OSA. Others include:

• Sweats during the night.
• Sleepiness or weariness during the day.
• Sudden awakenings with a choking or gasping sensation.
• Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, or impatience which are all signs of cognitive decline.
• Frequent nighttime urination.
• Dry mouth or sore throat upon awakening.
• Frequent nighttime awakenings.
• Sexual dysfunction.
• Headaches.

For children and adolescents, the following symptoms are commoner and parents, teachers, and other caregivers can notice:

• Poor school performance .
• Sluggishness or tiredness, sometimes misunderstood as laziness.
• Mouth breathing and swallowing are challenging during the day.
• Disorders of learning and behavior (hyperactivity, attention deficits).
• Sleeping in unusual postures, such as on one’s hands and knees or with a hyper-extended neck.
• Bedwetting.

How Is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?

Your dentist will diagnose sleep apnea by considering your signs and symptoms on presentation and the results of their physical examination, as well as investigations or tests requested. The physical examination involves the evaluation of the back of your throat, mouth, and nose for extra tissue or abnormalities. Also, for further evaluation, your dentist could refer you to a sleep specialist who would conduct additional evaluations to make a diagnosis, determine the severity of your condition, and plan your treatment after that. Dentists in Royse City are experts in sleep apnea treatments.

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options.

Treatment can be conservative and medical, and sometimes surgical to provide a sleep apnea cure. Medical devices could also be used, such as positive pressure devices. There can also be sleep apnea treatment without CPAP, where instead of a pressure device, you will use a mouthpiece known as sleep apnea mouthpiece. That would keep your throat open or keep your airway open by bringing your lower jaw forward, thus relieving snoring and ultimately obstructive sleep apnea.

Conservative options are general advice on lifestyle changes such as losing weight, regular exercise, moderate alcohol consumption, not drinking in the hours before bedtime, quitting smoking, the use of nasal decongestant or allergy medications, amongst others.

Visit us at Pleasure Dental to get quality sleep apnea treatment.