How Your Dentist Can Help You With Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea impacts millions of people. Sleep apnea can contribute to health risks like heart disease and dementia, as well as connect with other health problems in the future. Although there are many solutions for addressing sleep apnea, your dentist can assist with your troubles as well. It is important first to be able to identify the issue to be able to bring it to your health or oral experts, to then find the right solution.

Identifiers Of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder that is common in many people and causes you to have shortness of breath. This irregular breathing is typically present while you sleep, which will affect the overall quality of your rest, as it can force you into a lighter sleep stage or even wake you up. This leads to feelings of fatigue during the day, causing you to have low energy, and ultimately impact your overall health throughout your life since sleep is so crucial to your body’s growth, development, recovery, and overall well-being. Snoring is one of the more obvious symptoms of those with sleep apnea, signaling restricted airways. 

Seeking Help And Treatment

If you bring your concerns to a doctor, they will examine your family history and do a physical exam to properly diagnose you. Such is the case in Texas, where a lot of people suffer from sleep apnea. If your doctor determines you indeed have this problem, you might be referred to a professional for a variety of solutions. Additionally, you can bring these concerns of lethargy, headaches and dry mouth to a Dentist Houston to get their medical opinions or advice. Your dentist would potentially be able to recognize your issues and concerns and refer you to a medical specialist for your condition.

Devices For Your Sleep Apnea

If you fall under the right qualifications of sleep apnea, one of the specialist treatments that can be recommended is through an oral professional or dentist. Your dentists will address your sleep apnea most likely through a device-specific to you. They can assist you by creating a device to help with your problems. Dentists will develop a sort of mouthguard that adjusts or positions your jaw in a way to properly posture your jaw in a way that creates more open airways. This will assist you in sleeping better by being able to breathe throughout the night without interruptions to your sleep. If the problems persist or are worse than a guard can assist with, you might then be recommended for a CPAP machine. This blows air down the throat in order to keep your airways open at night while you sleep.

There are many solutions for those that are suffering from sleep apnea. Your dentist may be able to assist you in one way with a custom creation of a guard or device that promotes breathing at night, but if they cannot provide you the solution you need, you have other options. There are behavioral methods that can help change your sleeping habits and positions as well. Ultimately, you need to identify your sleep troubles to find the best solution for your specific situation and needs.