Do you suffer from chronic snoring and often feel tired during the day? If so, this could be related to a serious oral health concern known as obstructive sleep apnea. Without treatment, this could cause moodiness and memory issues, and could lead to strain on your heart health. In today’s blog, your Celina, TX, dentist talks about how we treat snoring and sleep habits, so you can obtain better rest, feel more alert, and avoid unnecessary stress on your immune system and heart health too!
Warning Signs of Trouble
How do you know if you should contact our team for sleep apnea treatment? The disorder causes you to stop breathing for brief moments in the night, which interrupts your sleep cycle and leaves you feeling exhausted the next day. Snoring is often a warning sign, and you may wake up gasping for air or choking. Moodiness, memory issues, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and dry mouth are also common. When you begin to exhibit one or more of these potential warning signs, then please see our team right away!
Causes and Complications
The disorder could be caused by issues like sinus and allergy problems, deviated septum, obesity, large neck circumference, or issues with the growth and development of your jaw and oral structures. Resting on your back and excessive alcohol consumption before bed could also increase your risk of apneic episodes. Over time, this could impact your social life, your work performance, and could strain your immune system to make illness more frequent. In addition, the stress on your heart health could boost the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and even stroke or heart attack.
Testing
When you experience the symptoms we have discussed, then please see us right away for testing. We will start with questions about your sleep habits and possible symptoms. We can then conduct an in-office exam with a Rhino-meter and Pharyngo-meter, which evaluates your airways and possible obstructions. We could also send you home with a unique device that is worn while you sleep and records apneic episodes and other factors that could indicate the presence of the disorder. Our team next interprets the results and plans treatments to help you rest easier. Instead of the loud and cumbersome CPAP machine, we are proud to offer an alternative that is more comfortable and convenient, and helps you feel more alert!
Creating a Custom Oral Appliance
If you benefit from an oral appliance, our team will next take detailed images and measurements of your smile from multiple angles. We then use the information to diagnose and craft a custom oral appliance, which will look and fit similar to a nightguard. The device is worn while you sleep, and once in place this will shift the jaw forward and keep airways open and free of obstruction. This helps you sleep without interruption, so you feel more rested and alert the next day. The device itself is easy to use and clean, and can travel with you too! This offers a number of benefits over the traditional CPAP machine.
Changing Your Lifestyle Habits
You could also make changes to your daily habits to help limit the risk of sleep apnea, so you can enjoy a better quality of life. For example, keep your bedroom dark and cool, and preferably free of screens. You should avoid screens in the hour before bed and also avoid excessive alcohol, vigorous exercise, and large meals in the two hours before bed. Maintain a regular sleep schedule too, which means falling asleep at the same times every night and waking up at the same times each day. Be sure you rest on your side instead of your back too. These steps, combined with an oral appliance, can help you rest easier. If you have any questions about how we diagnose and treat issues like snoring and sleep apnea, or if you would like to schedule a consultation so you can rest easier, then contact our team today to learn more. Everyone deserves a good night’s sleep, and we want to help make it a reality for you.
Are You Ready for a Good Night’s Rest?
We want to make sure you can enjoy a good night’s rest and feel more rested and alert the next day. To schedule an appointment with Celina Family Dentistry in Celina, TX, call (214) 851-0130. If you suffer from chronic snoring and often feel tired during the day despite sleeping the night before, let us know so we can see if you need treatment for a widespread and serious disorder.
Recent Comments