Dental Services / Sleep Apnea Treatment
WHY SMILE SPA?
SLEEP SOLUTIONS IN BATON ROUGE
Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes a person’s breathing to be interrupted while they are asleep. It is much more common than many people realize. The most common sleep apnea treatment is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. This works for most people but not for everyone, so there are several other options. At The Smile Spa, we offer a sleep application therapy known as oral appliance therapy.
Whether oral appliance therapy is right for you depends on the severity of your sleep apnea and the kind of sleep apnea you have. The three types of sleep apnea are obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is when partial or complete physical blockage of your airway takes place while you are asleep. This means that the soft tissue at the back of your throat collapses to halt or reduce the flow of air.
Central sleep apnea occurs when there is a nervous system dysfunction. Your brain and nervous system fail to tell your muscles to breathe in air. Many patients suffer from mixed sleep apnea, a combination of central and obstructive causes. Oral application therapy is designed to treat obstructive sleep apnea. It can be prescribed by your dentist often in consultation with your doctor.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
Patients don’t recognize at first that they have obstructive sleep apnea. Often, the more likely party to recognize warning signs is a sleeping partner, as indicated by some of the below symptoms:
- Snoring
- Fatigue or tiredness during the day
- Restlessness while sleeping
- Sudden awakenings in the night to take a breath
- Sore throat when waking
- Headaches
Many people who have obstructive sleep apnea don’t notice many of the above symptoms and have no complaints about sleeping. Obstructive sleep apnea can be even more challenging to recognize in children. It is best to recognize if you have obstructive sleep apnea as soon as possible when the signs are present. Many health problems can result from untreated sleep apnea. These include hypertension, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, and heart attacks.
GETTING SLEEP APNEA TREATMENT
Oral appliance therapy is a sleep apnea treatment that involves creating oral appliances that sit in your mouth while sleeping. The oral appliance is like an orthodontic retainer. It helps maintain your jaw in a forward position, which in turn keeps your airway open.
The benefits of this treatment include improved sleep, restored alertness, and avoiding long-term negative health consequences of untreated obstructive sleep apnea. The oral appliance is also convenient relative to other treatments like CPAP, allowing for a quiet, portable, and easy-to-care-for solution.
If we decide to move forward with oral appliance therapy as your sleep apnea treatment, the process is straightforward. We will take an impression of your teeth to have a device created that fits correctly and comfortably.
It takes a couple of weeks to get used to the device. You may experience some short-term side effects, such as a dry throat, soreness in the gums or jaw, or higher-than-usual salivation. These often subside as your mouth and throat get used to your new sleeping routine.
IS SLEEP APNEA TREATMENT RIGHT FOR ME?
Sleep apnea is a serious condition, so it is important to identify the right cause and treatment. We will consult with you and your doctor to review the severity of your symptoms.
Oral appliance therapy can be effective and increase your quality of life, but we want to make sure it’s right for each patient.
YOU DESERVE A GOOD NIGHT’S REST
People can experience many challenges as they sleep. These challenges can impact their sleep quality and health. One of these challenges can be as serious as obstructive sleep apnea (when the tissue in their throat obstructs the airway). Yet, there are milder conditions such as nasal or mouth snoring. At the Smile Spa, many sleep accessories can help treat symptoms and disorders. These accessories can increase your quality of sleep and living. Below are some examples of common sleep accessories we can help advise you on.
TALK TO US ABOUT SLEEP ACCESSORIES
If you have difficulty sleeping or dealing with symptoms that the proper sleep accessories can aid, we can help advise you. Quality sleep does so much good for your body and can help your body heal, even if it takes extra help and accessories for sleep to do its job. Please schedule an appointment today so we can help get your sleep journey back on the right path.
SNORING CHIN STRAPS
Snoring chin straps come in many varieties. They are put on over your head to support your chin. This keeps your mouth closed so that you breathe through your nose while sleeping. The chin strap is mainly for those who snore through their mouth. It wouldn’t reduce snoring for those who snore through their nose. Snoring chin straps work best for light snorers.
VESTIBULAR SHIELD
A vestibular shield goes inside your mouth and, like a chin strap, forces your body to breathe from its nose. Choosing a vestibular shield over a chin strap is often a matter of preference, as both have a similar effect.
TONGUE STABILIZING DEVICES (TSDS)
These devices are made of similar material to mouth guards and pacifiers. They pull your tongue forward in your mouth. It attaches to your tongue through suction and braces on your lips or teeth to hold the tongue forward. A tongue-stabilizing device does not move your entire jaw like a MAD. This means that TSDs exert less pressure on your teeth and jaw. People who have dentures or otherwise struggle with teeth and jaw pain find TSDs as a better options.
MANDIBULAR ADVANCEMENT DEVICE (MAD)
Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs) are alternatives to other treatments for disorders. They move the jaw and tongue forward. This reduces the amount of throat constriction you experience while sleeping. MADs prevent both sleep apnea and snoring by increasing the airway space at the back of the mouth and throat.
MADs can offer significant benefits, but they are not for everyone. People who wear dentures or have significant tooth decay are not great candidates for this type of sleep accessory. Another option is over-the-counter MADs. They are made of soft material formed to your teeth by boiling them in water and then biting down. Smile Spa can provide a more comfortable and effective device through teeth impressions and build a custom MAD fitted to your teeth exactly.
CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE (CPAP) DEVICES
Considered the best solution for most sleep apnea patients, CPAP machines apply air pressure on your throat while sleeping, so the throat does not collapse. It is used at home every night when you sleep and includes a mask covering your nose, mouth, or both.
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