About 30 million Americans have sleep apnea, but just a fifth of them — 6 million — have been diagnosed. You might have sleep apnea if you snore loudly, have trouble sleeping, or suffer from severe daytime fatigue. At Montrose Dental Specialty in Montrose, California, the experienced dental team offers sleep apnea solutions for all ages. You can undergo an at-home sleep study and then work with a provider to determine the best treatment for you. Restore healthy sleeping patterns and improve your day-to-day life by reaching out to the practice or scheduling an appointment online.
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that causes pauses in breathing when you sleep. These pauses occur either because of blockage in your airway (obstructive sleep apnea, OSA) or because your brain doesn’t correctly control your breathing (central apnea, CSA).
In OSA, the soft tissues in the back of your mouth and throat muscles overly relax, blocking air flowing to your lungs. You’ll wake up and start breathing again, but this pattern will continue throughout your sleep.
CSA is a less common neurological problem causing miscommunication between your brain and breathing muscles.
Montrose Dental Specialty focuses on OSA sleep apnea treatments.
Sleep apnea symptoms include:
Children with sleep apnea tend to wet the bed, constantly move while sleeping, or sleep in unusual positions.
Untreated sleep apnea can increase your risk of high blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Men are 2-3 times more likely than women to suffer from sleep apnea — at least until a woman goes through menopause.
You could be at risk for sleep apnea if you have:
To properly diagnose your sleep apnea, your provider could have you take home a sleep study to monitor and measure your blood oxygen levels.
Your provider could recommend lifestyle changes like weight loss, quitting smoking or alcohol, or changing your sleeping position to treat mild sleep apnea.
If you want to avoid using a cumbersome breathing device like a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the practice offers custom-fitted, noninvasive oral appliances like the EMA® (Elastic Mandibular Advancement) oral appliance or DynaFlex® Dorsal Appliance.
These appliances are comfortable to wear in your mouth while you’re sleeping and work by repositioning your jaw to improve airflow.
If you’re interested in learning more about sleep apnea treatments, reach out to Montrose Dental Specialty online or by phone today.