How Oral Appliance Therapy Can Help Your Sleep Apnea

How Oral Appliance Therapy Can Help Your Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is considered a very serious sleep disorder. Primarily, it causes interrupted breathing when sleeping. This means that individuals who have untreated and uncontrolled sleep apnea may stop breathing multiple times when sleeping, sometimes even up to a hundred times per night.

Sleep apnea is categorized into three types, obstructive, mixed, and central, with OSA, or obstructive sleep apnea, being the most common of the three. Here at the Tan Head and Neck Center in Long Beach, CA, our doctors can diagnose sleep apnea and suggest treatment options that will best suit your needs.

Common Causes of Sleep Apnea

OSA is typically caused by the airway being blocked when the throat’s soft tissue collapses when sleeping. Individuals who have central nervous system issues, neuromuscular problems or those that have experienced a stroke usually have central sleep apnea. It’s likewise common in individuals with pulmonary diseases, heart failure, and other cardiac diseases.

Oral Appliance Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Once your doctor in Long Beach, CA, has diagnosed you with sleep apnea, you’ll be offered different treatment choices. One of the most common and recommended therapies for sleep apnea is a CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure machine. On the other hand, not all people respond well or can tolerate this machine. Fortunately, oral appliance therapy offers a suitable option for individuals who have mild to moderate sleep apnea and just can’t use a CPAP machine.

With oral appliance therapy, you will need to wear an oral appliance that looks like a mouthguard. Also called oral mandibular advancement devices or dental appliances, these devices can help prevent your tongue from blocking your throat as well as reposition your lower jaw to help keep your airway unobstructed when you’re sleeping. These are highly effective in improving sleep apnea symptoms, including snoring, daytime sleepiness, concentration problems, and moodiness.

Potential Consequences of Untreated Sleep Apnea

Left unaddressed, sleep apnea could cause other health issues such as stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, and cardiomyopathy among others. Additionally, it might likewise be responsible for work-related injuries/accidents, impairment of concentration at work or school, and serious vehicular accidents.
 

Need More Details on Sleep Apnea, Give Us a Call

Book your consultation date with one of the doctors here at the Tan Head and Neck Center in Long Beach, CA, by dialing (562) 988-8818.