Sleep disorders are a common problem in the United States; sleep apnea is one such health condition affecting more than 22 million Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation. It’s also estimated that up to 90 percent of the people who suffer from this condition are undiagnosed. Unfortunately, while people may recognize that they snore and are constantly tired throughout the day, they may not realize that these are the signs of a condition that could actually be threatening their lives.
So, if you wake up tired and irritable after sleeping all night, or if your partner complains about your snoring, you may want to consider a sleep study to determine whether sleep apnea is the cause.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
When a patient with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) sleeps, their airway becomes blocked, causing them to stop breathing (the word apnea literally means “without breath”). These periods of not breathing last 10 seconds or longer and repeatedly occur throughout the night. A person with severe sleep apnea could experience hundreds of these episodes in a single night.
The signs of sleep apnea include:
- Loud snoring
- Gasping and choking noises as the body rouses itself to resume breathing
Although the patient may not remember these repeated waking episodes in the morning, they prevent the deep sleep each of us needs.
When sleep apnea is left untreated, both the patient’s quality of life and health suffer. Daytime fatigue and sleepiness have a detrimental effect on productivity at work and in personal relationships and can even pose a danger because of the risk of falling asleep while driving. Sleep apnea also leads to additional serious medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and depression.
What Are the Causes of OSA?
Your nerves, muscles, and other parts of your body interact in a complex manner. In some individuals, these interactions don’t work correctly, and the airway can close while they are sleeping. As soon as the brain registers that oxygen levels are dropping, a signal is sent to wake the body so that breathing can resume.
The Benefits of Treating Sleep Apnea
Once you find effective treatment for your obstructive sleep apnea, you will benefit in the following ways:
- Improved Sleep
- With proper treatment, you will experience quality sleep and wake feeling rested.
- Improved Mood
- Once you treat your sleep apnea, your mood and quality of life will improve dramatically.
- Improved Cognition
- OSA treatment can improve your memory and ability to focus and make decisions.
Sleep Apnea Risk Factors
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, there are many distinct risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea, including:
- Age
- The older you are, the greater your chances for sleep apnea. However, after age 60, the risks level off.
- Family history
- If you have a family member with obstructive sleep apnea, it may increase your risk.
- Genetics
- Obstructive sleep apnea can be inherited; certain skeletal and soft tissue features, such as the size of the tongue, tonsils, and soft palate, are believed to increase the risk.
- Lifestyle habits
- Smoking, drinking alcohol, and using sedatives can increase your risk for sleep apnea.
- Obesity
- If you have excess fat deposits in your neck, it could block your upper airway.
- Sex
- Men are two to three times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than women.
- Other health conditions
- If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or thyroid disorders, your risk for OSA increases.
- Other factors
- If you have a thick neck or chronic nasal congestion, you are at an increased risk for sleep apnea.
Complications Associated with OSA
Research conducted at the Mayo Clinic names numerous complications associated with untreated sleep apnea. Without a sleep study and proper treatment, any of the following are possible:
- Daytime fatigue
- Because you are repeatedly awakened at night, you can’t get the restorative sleep you need. This can cause you to be drowsy, fatigued, and irritable.
- Difficulty concentrating
- It’s quite possible you won’t be able to focus at work or school. You could even fall asleep during the day without realizing it.
- Depression
- Without enough quality sleep, you might be easily irritated, moody, or depressed. This can lead to additional issues with relationships.
- High blood pressure
- If you have sleep apnea, you are more likely to experience a drop in blood oxygen levels, which can result in higher blood pressure.
- Heart attack and stroke
- Your risk factors for heart attack, stroke, and atrial fibrillation can increase if you have obstructive sleep apnea.
- Heart failure
- Obstructive sleep apnea can put a strain on the cardiovascular system and result in heart failure.
- Type 2 diabetes
- You are more prone to insulin resistance if you have sleep apnea, so your chances of diabetes are increased.
The Most Common Treatment Option: CPAP Therapy
After you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, your doctor may prescribe a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to treat your symptoms. A CPAP machine keeps your airways open while you sleep by delivering continuous air through a mask.
The parts of a CPAP machine include:
- A mask that fits over your nose, mouth, or both
- A strap to hold the mask on your face
- A tube that connects the face mask to the machine’s motor
- A motor to blow air into the tube
- An air filter to purify the air going into your nose and mouth
- A heated humidifier to keep the air moist
- An adjustable pressure setting to alter the pressure as needed
How Does a CPAP Machine Work?
For a CPAP machine to work, you must wear the mask every time you sleep, whether at home or away from home. It works by taking in the room’s air, filtering it, pressurizing it, and then delivering it through the tubing into your face mask.
This continuous air flow keeps your tongue and soft palate from shifting and closing your airway, allowing you to breathe and sleep properly.
While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective treatment for sleep apnea and often one of the first prescribed by sleep specialists, nearly half of all patients cannot tolerate this therapy – for a variety of reasons, including the following:
- Machine issues
- Several things can go wrong with the CPAP machine, such as issues with the power, plastic tubing, or humidifier. Your CPAP machine might be old and need to be replaced, but new machines are expensive.
- Health or lifestyle changes
- Your CPAP settings may need to be adjusted to ensure you get the right amount of pressure. Your sleep position and weight can affect pressure requirements.
- Nasal or sinus issues
- If you have a deviated septum or a high arching palate, it could cause you to be CPAP intolerant.
- Congestion
- Anything that keeps you from breathing normally can make it difficult to use a CPAP machine, including seasonal allergies or daily congestion.
- Other factors
- Numerous other factors can contribute to CPAP intolerance, including claustrophobia, insomnia, anxiety, nasal or skin irritation, poor mask fit, respiratory infections, bloating, gas, or lack of motivation.
How Can Your Dentist Help Your Sleep Apnea?
Fortunately, there are other ways to treat sleep apnea besides a CPAP machine, including a customized mouthpiece from our dental office.
Dr. Robertson has a great deal of experience and training in using customized mouthpieces to treat sleep apnea. These oral appliances reposition your tongue to keep it from falling back and hold your jaw in a slightly different position. This effect stops the airway from closing and prevents the tongue from blocking the airway.
Here are the steps of the process:
- We’ll take impressions of your teeth to determine your bite.
- We will send those impressions to the lab or manufacturer to create your custom mouthpiece.
- Once your mouthpiece is ready, you’ll return to our dental office for a fitting to ensure it’s comfortable and fits snugly enough to stay put while you sleep.
- We will provide ongoing care and check with you during your regular dental appointments to see how your mouthpiece works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dentists qualified to treat sleep apnea?
All dentists, including Dr. Jeffrey Robertson, must undergo training in order to be able to treat obstructive sleep apnea using oral appliance therapy. Additionally, it will still be necessary for you to receive a diagnosis from an accredited sleep clinic. You will need to obtain a referral from your doctor in order to have a sleep study.
The AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) recommends treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea with oral appliances if you do not tolerate or do not wish to use the CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine for treatment of your obstructive sleep apnea.
Therapy for Sleep Apnea:
It is true; many patients do not tolerate the CPAP machine and find oral appliance therapy a highly successful and convenient form of treatment. Oral appliances generally work by moving your lower jaw forward in order to open your airway. By keeping those muscles taut at the back of your throat, you will get better sleep with reduced or eliminated snoring.
When you contact our Irvine, CA dental office for treatment of sleep apnea, you are in good hands. Dr. Jeffrey Robertson will provide you with accurate information and an honest recommendation for treatment that best supports your overall health and wellness.
How do oral appliances work for sleep apnea treatment?
The type of oral appliance we use to treat your sleep apnea will depend on your particular symptoms and condition. Once you receive an obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis through an accredited sleep study clinic, you may choose to have an oral appliance instead of a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine. While CPAP machines are highly effective in the treatment of sleep apnea, many patients do not tolerate them well and have difficulty sleeping.
Types of Oral Appliances We Use in Irvine:
According to the AASM, oral appliances are effective as a treatment for minor to moderate sleep apnea. Oral appliances typically work in one of two ways:
- They either gently move your lower jaw forward, opening your airway
- Or they gently pull your tongue forward using a suction bulb, achieving the same result
The first type of appliance is much more common and is effective for most people with obstructive sleep apnea. If you have questions about whether treatment with an oral appliance is right for your obstructive sleep apnea, call our Irvine, CA dental office for an evaluation.
How does an oral appliance help with snoring?
Snoring can be one of the most frustrating experiences for the spouse or partner of someone who snores. Many patients share stories of being able to hear someone snoring even down a long hallway in another room. Unfortunately, when a spouse snores, often the couple splits up to sleep in two separate rooms. As you can imagine, this creates a strain on even the very best of relationships.
Finding Snoring Relief:
Dr. Jeffrey Robertson treats hundreds of desperate patients each year for snoring relief. He sympathizes with patients who suffer from snoring because he understands how disruptive it is.
That is why he decided to create special oral appliances in order to help patients get relief from snoring. He offers different types of oral appliances all designed to help open your airway. Some appliances help by keeping your lower jaw forward in order to open your airway at your throat or to keep your tongue from sliding back to block your throat and restrict air.
When you come to our office for snoring relief, you will find a compassionate team sensitive to your struggles. Dr. Jeffrey Robertson looks forward to offering his expertise to increase your restful sleep and your quality of life.
Is sleep apnea dangerous?
Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea, is a potentially dangerous condition because it blocks your airway as you sleep. This can cause periodic bouts of not breathing, which causes a number of health conditions such as high blood pressure, strokes, fatigue, and depression.
Sleep apnea must be diagnosed by a medical professional and involves a sleep study at an accredited sleep clinic. Once diagnosis occurs, you may be prescribed a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine to relieve your symptoms. Most patients get the relief they need from the CPAP machine, but some do not. That is where we can help.
Mouth Guard for Sleep Apnea:
For those patients with mild cases of sleep apnea who do not tolerate the CPAP machine well, Dr. Jeffrey Robertson offers an alternative in the form of a dental appliance worn at night. This custom made appliance gently moves the lower jaw forward in order to open your airway and allow for the unobstructed breath necessary to keep you healthy and provide a good night’s sleep.
What are the risk factors for sleep apnea?
While we don’t know the cause of obstructive sleep apnea for every patient, certain risk factors increase your chances:
- Being male
- Over 60 years of age
- Overweight or obese
- Thick neck circumference
- Small airway
- Enlarged tonsils
- Lack of muscle tone in throat
- Family history
Obstructive sleep apnea is dangerous when left untreated. If you received a diagnosis of sleep apnea, chances are your doctor recommended a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine. The fact is that some people just cannot get comfortable at night wearing a CPAP mask, or they end up removing the mask in the middle of the night, defeating the purpose of treatment.
Oral Appliance Therapy:
Recent scientific evidence points to the effectiveness of oral appliances in the treatment of sleep apnea. Our oral appliances are custom made and designed to help open your airway so that appropriate air flow is unrestricted. They assist in keeping your tongue from sliding back and blocking your airway or gently slide your lower jaw forward, opening your airway.
Our patients tell us how much our sleep apnea devices have changed their lives. They are both comfortable and effective and most people get used to wearing them after only a short time. They are not bulky and allow you to sleep in any position that feels comfortable to you without tubes or a mask.
Schedule Your Sleep Apnea Consultation in Irvine Today
If you wake up tired despite getting a full night’s sleep, you may have sleep apnea. Dr. Robertson is happy to provide a free consultation to discuss your needs, your condition, your lifestyle, and your preferences. If CPAP therapy is not an option for you, or if you’d simply like to learn more about oral appliances and what they can do for patients with sleep apnea, we will happily assist you! Explore your options for treatment at Irvine Dental. Call our Irvine dental office today at (714) 838-7272 to schedule your free consultation.
