Are you sleeping peacefully? Is your partner keeping you awake at night?
It is important to diagnose sleep disorders as quickly as possible. The more time you spend with a sleeping problem, the more days you spend feeling exhausted and unlike yourself.
If sleep apnea is the issue, there’s more to worry about than sleepy days. In addition to impacting your days, sleep apnea can lead to serious, larger-scale health problems. Because it interrupts your breathing throughout the night, sleep apnea restricts oxygen flow to your brain, and can result in a heightened risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
You want to do whatever you can to build stellar whole-body health. And being proactive in seeking treatment for sleep apnea is the first step. If you suspect something’s wrong, it’s time to contact our Macomb sleep apnea dentist.
Oral Appliances for Sleep Apnea
Surprised to learn that a dentist can treat obstructive sleep apnea? Depending on your sleep disorder, an oral appliance can actually open your airway and ensure uninterrupted breathing. You can receive comprehensive treatment from our sleep apnea dentist, Dr. Michael Hoffman.
Spot Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Are you sleeping poorly, and feeling tired during the day after what should have been a full night’s sleep? These are symptoms of sleep apnea. Also watch for:
- Sore or dry throat upon waking
- Snoring
- Waking with a choking, gasping sensation
- Lack of energy
- Sleepiness behind the wheel
- Headaches, in the morning and during the day
- Restless sleep from which you wake often
- Forgetfulness
- Depression
It’s also possible for children to experience sleep apnea. When your kids aren’t getting enough sleep, they’re likely to be poorly-focused and exhausted during the day. They’re more likely to become frustrated or irritable, and will struggle to remember things that they learn each day.
In addition to these daily concerns, there are longer-term issues that make sleep apnea a worrying problem. The child’s memory, brain development, learning ability, and I.Q. can suffer in the future. While treatment improves many of these problems dramatically, and most children catch up developmentally, there can be more concrete consequences of the years of sleep apnea. Children who spent years struggling with sleep apnea are more likely to have lower academic performance, as it’s harder for them to retain memories (and, in essence, learn).
Simple Sleep Apnea Treatment
You’ve probably heard of CPAP breathing machines as a sleep apnea treatment option. While necessary for some patients, those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may have a simpler, far smaller, and more convenient solution.
OSA is the most widespread form of sleep apnea, and there’s a wide range of oral appliances available. At Hoffman Dental Care, we strive to prove the most up-to-date and advanced dental technologies. This extends to our sleep apnea guard. We offer individually fabricated, custom sleep apnea guards to help keep your airway open during sleep. With the appliance in place, your airway will remain open throughout the night, but you’ll be able to remain comfortable and sleep well.
Sleep apnea oral appliances offer the following benefits:
- Holding the lower jaw slightly forward without placing stress on the TMJ (jaw joint)
- Allowing for greater tongue space than other appliances to feel more natural
- Freeing up vertical movement, so that patients can drink liquids and speak while wearing the appliance
Interested in learning more? A consultation will allow us to evaluate your mouth, and decide whether a sleep apnea guard is the right step. Schedule yours today.
