Dental Sleep Apnea Treatment Is Useful and Affordable for Patients with Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea affects approximately 20 percent of Americans, most of whom are undiagnosed. Sleep apnea is characterized by loud snoring and silent pauses in a breath when sleeping. If you are affected by sleep apnea, you can choke or gasp during sleep. The problem also disturbs your bed partner, preventing them from having a good night’s rest.

The most common sign of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring. The problem leaves you with daytime sleepiness and fatigue, waking up in the morning without feeling refreshed, frequently waking during the night for bathroom visits, difficulties in concentrating, memory loss, and irritability.

You must not consider snoring as a minor problem but must seek treatment for the condition by having yourself diagnosed by a board-certified physician. If you snore without sleep apnea, the doctor provides a referral for dental sleep apnea treatment in Pasadena. However, if you are affected by sleep apnea, the doctor will discuss other treatment options with you to overcome the condition.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a potentially severe sleep disorder that causes your breathing to stop repeatedly and start. If you feel tired after a full night’s sleep because you were snoring loudly, you may have sleep apnea.

There are three types of sleep apnea. They are:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea. OSA is the most common form of sleep apnea occurring when your throat muscles relax.
• Central Sleep Apnea. When your brain doesn’t send correct signals to your muscles responsible for controlling breathing, you are affected by CSA.
• Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Also identified as treatment-emergent CSA, this condition occurs when you have both OSA and CSA.

The Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

The symptoms of OSA and CSA both overlap, making it difficult to determine which condition affects you. However, the most familiar symptoms of OSA and CSA are the following:

• Loud snoring accompanied by episodes when you stop breathing when sleeping and only realize it when someone reports it.
• Gasping for air when sleeping or awakening with a dry mouth.
• Difficulty staying asleep or excessive hypersomnia.
• Challenges concentrating when awake.

When Must You See a Doctor?

Loud snoring often indicates a potentially severe problem. However, not everyone with sleep apnea snores. You must discuss with your doctor if you have any signs or symptoms of sleep apnea as described above. Inquire with the doctor about sleep problems that may leave you tired, irritable, or sleepy.

What Causes Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the rear of the throat relax. When the muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes when you breathe. You don’t get sufficient air, and the oxygen level in your blood lowers. Your inability to breathe is sensed by your brain to briefly arouse you from sleep to enable you to reopen your airway. The awakening is brief, leaving you no recollection of the same.

Central sleep apnea occurs when your brain doesn’t transmit signals to your breathing muscles. The lack of signals prevents you from breathing for short periods. You can awaken with shortness of breath or face challenges getting to sleep or staying asleep.

Sleep apnea affects anyone, including children, and mustn’t be considered as an inconsequential condition.

Treatment Options for Sleep Apnea

If you are diagnosed as a sleep apnea patient, doctors recommend continuous positive airway pressure treatment for the condition. The CPAP device keeps your airway open, although it is uncomfortable and challenging to adhere to. The CPAP machine is considered the gold standard for treating sleep apnea and requires you to wear a mask when sleeping. If you cannot adhere to the CPAP device, you can request your doctor to refer to dental sleep apnea treatment near you, where dentists provide an oral appliance to deal with your condition.

Why Choose Dental Sleep Apnea Treatment over the Gold Standard

Dentists are pioneers of oral appliance therapy for the treatment of OSA and snoring in adults. The oral appliance pioneered by dentists is accepted by many because it is comfortable, portable, quiet, and is to wear.

Dental sleep apnea treatment near 77379 provides you with a customized oral appliance. It is an effective treatment to prevent the airway from collapsing by supporting the lower jaw in a forward position. Dental appliance therapy for sleep apnea is a suitable treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. The device must be worn when sleeping, and it helps to keep your airway open without obstructions.