A condition that affects millions of Americans across all ages, obstructive sleep apnea is a serious concern. It can lead to poor sleep quality, headaches, and puts you at a higher risk of chronic disease, such as diabetes and heart disease. As such, finding any way to treat it is key. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may be surprised to learn that your Orem, Utah dentist can help.
About Sleep Apnea
There are different types of sleep apnea, with obstructive sleep apnea being the most common. It’s diagnosed as a blockage of the throat that results in an inability to get enough oxygen during your sleep. This can cause people to get woken up during the night, to find themselves gasping for air, and to be generally exhausted the next day.
There are a wide range of causes and risk factors behind sleep apnea. It predominantly affects men, especially those who are overweight and over the age of 40, but it has the potential to affect everyone. For instance, children who have enlarged tonsils can be just as much at risk.
How do you know if you have sleep apnea?
One of the first noticeable signs of sleep apnea is loud snoring, especially when it’s loud enough to disrupt the sleep of others. Furthermore, if you wake up during the night, find yourself tired in the morning, even after a full sleep, and have a dry mouth or headaches, these can all be signs of sleep apnea. However, in order to be truly diagnosed with sleep apnea, you will have to go through a sleep study. Once you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you have to look at the available treatments, which is where Crawford Leishman can help.
Treating Sleep Apnea in Orem
There are a range of ways to treat sleep apnea, but our first recommendation is using custom-made oral appliances that can fit in your mouth while you’re sleeping. They are worn much like mouth guards, but are designed specifically to treat sleep apnea by repositioning your lower jaw. By ensuring it remains in a forward position, we can help keep the airway open in your sleep. This can make a marked difference in reducing the number of apneas per night, as well as the symptoms experienced as a result. Should the oral appliance not be effective enough, however, we can recommend a CPAP machine.
Why it’s essential to treat your sleep apnea
Many people misconstrue sleep apnea as being little more than loud snoring and occasionally waking up during the night. However, we know that the symptoms and risks can be more severe. It can lead to weight gain, impotence, chronic headaches, and forgetfulness, for instance. It’s also very closely linked to hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.
Get in touch with us today
If you want to treat sleep apnea in Orem, Utah, Crawford Leishman Dental is here to help. After you have been diagnosed, we will help you find the most effective treatment available to help restore your quality of life.
