Dental Sleep Apnea and Snoring
What is snoring and sleep apnea?
Snoring is the sound that occurs when breathing is partially obstructed during sleep. Snoring occurs when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the normal airflow during sleep. As many as half of adults snore, and it can indicate that you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or "OSA". Not all people who snore have OSA, but if you snore, and have any of the following symptoms, you should be evaluated for OSA by undergoing a sleep study:
Excessive noise during sleep
Daytime sleepiness
Tired upon waking
Morning headache
Trouble concentrating
Constant waking at night
Gasping or choking at night
High blood pressure
Chest pain at night
Sexual or Erectile Dysfunction (men)
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA, is a condition many times associated with snoring, and is diagnosed by physician using a sleep study. OSA is a very serious health problem during which a person can stop breathing for up to a minute or more due to the soft tissue in the back of the mouth and throat fully blocking the airway. This lack of oxygen to your brain and heart can wreak havoc to your entire body. Research now shows that untreated OSA can lead to the following conditions and complications:
Heart Attack
Stroke
Diabetes
Impotence in men
Memory Loss
Depression
Hypertension
Cardiac Arrhythmia
Congestive Heart Failure
Endocrine Problems
Liver Failure
End Organ Failure
and even death
How we help stop snoring and control obstructive sleep apnea...
Today, somewhere between 80%-90% of adults with OSA remain undiagnosed. To help control the symptoms of snoring, or if you have been diagnosed with OSA by your physician, Dr. Alvarez can create a variety of dental sleep appliances or "a snore guard" . These type of dental snore guards and mandibular advancement devices can help you increase your oxygen level at night, as well as prevent snoring. Many times the appliances are used when a patient cannot, or will not use a "C-PAP" sleep apnea device. The dental snore guard works by advancing your jaw forward, thereby opening your airway, similar to what is seen done during CPR. There are a variety of dental sleep apnea devices done by Dr. Alvarez, including:
TAP and TAP 3 Elite Device
EMA Dental Guard
Snore-Guard Dental Snoring Device
SomnoMed Classic
SomnoMed Herbst Advance
Dr. Alvarez is a Member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
See our video on how can we help with your snoring and sleep apnea using a simple dental solution
