What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common disorder where your breathing is shallow or is completely interrupted or stopped while sleeping. These interruptions can happen multiple times an hour, continuing through the entire night, and can last a few seconds up to several minutes. Typically, normal breathing resumes, but a snorting or choking sound comes first.
Shallow or interrupted breathing results in poor sleep and can cause tiredness throughout the day because your body isn’t able to get the deep, restorative sleep it needs.
Sleep apnea is an ongoing condition that will not resolve on its own.
Is Snoring Bad? If So, Why?
Simply put, snoring is not normal!
Soft tissues in your airway vibrate, causing you to snore. It can be a sign of something more serious going on with your breathing.
How Can We Help?
Our dental office can help with sleep apnea and snoring!
The treatment is simple and does not change much about your nightly routine. The first step is to have a one-night, home sleep study to determine the severity of the situation.
Patients who have mild or moderate sleep apnea, along with those who are unable to use a CPAP machine, have had great success with oral appliance therapy (such as a sleep retainer). Other treatment options include a snore guard and/or laser therapy.
What Is a One-Night Home Sleep Study?
From the comfort of your own bed, our one-night home sleep study uses a device to record your
- Heart rate
- Oxygen levels
- Snoring
- Body position
Then, we review the data and discuss the best treatment option for your situation such as a CPAP, sleep retainer, snore guard, laser therapy, or a combination of these treatments.
The results from this study will tell us the severity of your sleep apnea and if your snoring is more then just noise! If you have a recent sleep study from another source, we may be able to just review that and discuss options.
Should I Take a Home Sleep Test?
Do you have one of the following concerns, or know someone who does? If so, taking a home sleep study could help determine if you need treatment.
Risk factors for sleep apnea include:
- High blood pressure
- Acid reflux
- Snoring
- Being overweight
- A family history of sleep apnea
- A neck circumference of 17 inches for males or 16 inches for females
- Grinding or clenching your teeth at night
Having one or more of these concerns is a great reason to set up a home sleep study with our office!
How You Get a Sleep Retainer
After we review your sleep study, we will discuss a sleep retainer and if it is an appropriate treatment option for you.
Then, we take a digital impression of your teeth and send it to a dental lab. The dental lab fabricates a custom sleep retainer and returns it to our office within two weeks. Once we receive the sleep retainer, we show you exactly how to use it and how to care for it. Both are very simple!
Pros of a Sleep Retainer
Using oral appliance therapy, or sleep retainer, for sleep apnea or snoring treatment has many benefits. Not only will a sleep retainer help improve your sleep quality, but it will also make your snoring much quieter—in most cases, non-existent!
Sleep retainers are:
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Convenient for travel
• Slim and ergonomically designed
• Comfortable, unlike CPAP machines
A sleep retainer is a medical device. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends them for most mild and moderate cases of sleep apnea and when patients can’t use CPAP machines.
Contact Ideal Image Dentistry & Spa Today!
At Ideal Image Dentistry, we understand the frustration with snoring and sleep apnea. That’s why we want to help you find a solution that is affordable and easy to use. Contact us today for an appointment or give us a call to learn more about our sleep retainers! Our Mandan spa dentistry office is located close to Bismarck and neighboring towns.
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