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For as long as anyone can remember, snoring has plagued the nights of countless sleepers across the globe.
Despite its reputation as merely being a nuisance, snoring can sometimes be a symptom of greater issues.
What are these issues and how can they be treated?
That’s what I’m here today to discuss. Here’s everything you should know about snoring’s greater health implications and how they can be treated by a sleep apnea dentist.
Snoring can be more than just an annoying noise that prevents your spouse from falling asleep.
One of the most common problems that can provoke snoring is sleep apnea, which can be a potentially serious issue. It causes your breathing to repeatedly start and stop, often inducing snoring.
Sleep apnea comes in various forms.
While anyone can develop sleep apnea, men are most prone. This is especially true for men over 40, overweight men, and men with a family history of Sleep Apnea disorder.
People with unusually sized tonsils, tongues, or jaws also have a higher risk of developing this condition. Other than snoring, it can also cause waking up with a dry mouth, morning headaches, and insomnia.
Not everyone with sleep apnea snores, while not everyone that snores has sleep apnea.
Snoring may also be the result of obesity, allergies, and smoking. Therefore, even if you don’t have sleep apnea, it’s important to get your snoring checked out. Chances are, there’s some larger reason for it that should be pinpointed and taken care of.
Snoring isn’t always a long-term problem, it may be as simple as a side-effect of a medication you’re taking. Many common over-the-counter medicine and prescriptions are known to relax the throat muscles, which causes snoring.
If you think you might have sleep apnea, I highly recommended making an appointment with us, as soon as possible.
Untreated sleep apnea can result in depression, diabetes, heart failure, and a number of other unsavory conditions.
On a personal level, the excessive snoring caused by sleep apnea can create tension in your personal life, as nobody wants to sleep next to a chronic snorer.
But you may be asking yourself, what’s the relationship between a sleep apnea and dentist?
That’s an easy one.
One of the most common snoring treatments are oral appliances. My team and I can provide you with a device suited specifically to fit your unique case.
Most devices are designed to shift the jaw and tongue, in order to open the throat and airways. These devices are to be worn while you sleep. Hence, you won’t have to worry about walking around with one on, which may be more uncomfortable emotionally than physically. These devices are designed to fit your jaw size, and be comfortable!oral slee appliance for snoring and sleep apnea
Oral appliances are great for moderate cases of sleep apnea, but more extreme cases might require more elaborate treatments, such as surgery. The extensiveness of the surgeries varies on a case-to-case basis, but this is only if oral appliances and other methods don’t do the trick.
Before getting oral appliances, you might even try changing your sleeping habits. Sleeping habits affect our day to day lives more than we acknowledge, sometimes altering your sleeping pattern can cure some of the less severe cases of sleeping apnea.
Click here to read more about lifestyle changes for snorers and sleep apnea patients.
Another common sleep apnea treatment is a CPAP machine, which is an external device you wear while sleeping. It pumps air through your nose and, as a result, the air pressure keeps your respiratory system open for smooth breathing. A lot of patients find they wake up feeling better rested, and more refreshed after using a CPAP machine.
Sleep is precious. It both relaxes us and energizes us. For some of us, it might even be the best part of the day. That’s why my team and I want to make sure your sleep remains just that: sleep.
No one wants to be constantly woken up at night, which can be more irritating than never falling asleep at all.
If you’re an excessive snorer, we can help evaluate your situation and find a solution specifically suited to your unique case.
Depending on how severe your case is, we can provide you with oral appliances that will help open up your airways and stop your snoring.
Snoring may seem like nothing more than a funny noise, but it can be a sign of a larger issue at hand, sometimes leading to long-term health problems . Before it reaches this point, come see us and we’ll take care of it.
Do you have any further questions regarding snoring or sleep apnea? Feel free to send us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to answering your questions!
