What is Sleep Apnea? If your breathing is interrupted while sleeping and you feel tired the next day, you may have sleep apnea. Left untreated, this disorder may lead to several health problems, including high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, enlargement of the heart muscles, diabetes, obesity, and heart failure. At a minimum, sleep apnea can leave you feeling groggy and tired in the morning or even unable to concentrate in the daytime. As such, you may risk causing accidents in the workplace, while driving, or attempting other activities. At Parkside Dental, we offer solutions to people with sleep apnea so that the condition does not impact their health and life. What Happens in Sleep Apnea?The soft tissue within the back of the mouth or throat may collapse while sleeping, often blocking the airway while you are sleeping. This makes you stop breathing repeatedly. Every time breathing pauses, your carbon dioxide levels within the bloodstream start to build up. Your brain notices this change and then sends signals for you to wake up so that you can take breaths of air and restore your oxygen levels. When afflicted by sleep apnea you may not even know that you are waking up several times at night. Your brain is prevented from achieving REM sleep. You, therefore, always feel sleep-deprived. Symptoms of Sleep ApneaPeople with this disorder show various symptoms. You may find that you snore loudly while sleeping. Again, you may not be aware that you are snoring, and in most cases, it is your partner who tells you that you snore at night. Additionally, you may have difficulty concentrating because the cascading effects of sleep apnea impair your mental concentration as well as memory retention. You may also feel sleepy and tired in the morning. Besides having daytime sleepiness, you may also experience irritability and depression due to the disorder. How Our Dental Team Can HelpSleep apnea is a very serious issue, therefore, if you do not seek treatment or if it remains undiagnosed, it can result in many complications. When you come to us with symptoms of this condition, we diagnose you and determine the most appropriate course of action. We may provide you with oral appliances that help ensure the airway remains clear and you can breathe easily without having breath pauses. Mandibular advancement device, or MAD, is one of the oral appliances we provide you. This device holds your lower jaw in a forward position, helping stabilize the parts of the airways that are collapsible. Over time, the appliance is also able to strengthen your airway and exercise the tongue or the muscles used for breathing. Moreover, we may also provide a tongue retaining device, which keeps the tongue positioned forward while sleeping. The device prevents the tongue from blocking the airway. We custom-make these appliances so that they effectively fit your mouth and ensure the airways do not get obstructed. The devices are also comfortable. If you are exhibiting any sleep apnea symptoms, please do not hesitate to visit us at Parkside Dental. Give us a call at 972-442-7550 and set up your initial consultation appointment to get diagnosed and start your treatment. |
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