Sleep apnea is a common form of sleep disorder that can impact your health and significantly impair the quality of sleep you receive each night. The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that 22 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep apnea, but that 80 percent of cases go undiagnosed.
If you are interested in sleep apnea treatment or you suspect that you may suffer from sleep apnea, non-invasive dental solutions may be right for you. Custom-fitted dental devices are an alternative to CPAP machines and other, more invasive forms of sleep apnea treatment.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a relatively common sleep disorder that can prevent you from getting a full night’s rest. The disorder is potentially dangerous. If you have sleep apnea, your breathing will repeatedly stop and start while you are resting. Sleep apnea treatment is a crucial step in reducing your risk for specific medical conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
The three types of sleep apnea are:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep apnea. It occurs when your airway becomes too narrow as you breathe. When you cannot get enough air, your brain stirs you from sleep to reopen your airways.
- Central Sleep Apnea. Central sleep apnea is far less common among patients. The disorder occurs when your brain does not transmit necessary signals to your breathing muscles.
- Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome. The rarest form of sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea syndrome occurs if you suffer from both central and obstructive sleep apneas.
Need Sleep Apnea Treatment? Exploring the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Deciding if treatment for sleep apnea is right for you? While the signs of obstructive and central sleep apnea overlap, the most common symptoms of these medical disorders include:
- Excessive sleepiness, difficulty staying awake, or trouble paying attention during the day.
- Irritability or depression.
- Loud and frequent episodes of snoring.
- Periods where you stop breathing while you are asleep, which is typically reported by another individual.
- Frequently waking up in the night, gasping for air, or waking with dry mouth.
- Frequent bouts of insomnia (difficulty staying asleep).
A Closer Look at Sleep Apnea Treatment with Dental Solutions
A non-invasive dental solution sleep apnea treatment provides certain patients with an alternative to the medical standard of the CPAP machine. Custom-built mouthpieces help to open your airways, making it an effective sleep apnea treatment for certain sleep apnea patients.
This form of treatment may be right for you if:
- Your CPAP machine disturbs your sleep due to noise or discomfort.
- You suffer from consistent runny nose or congestion due to your CPAP.
- Your CPAP device is not providing you with enough assistance.
- You suspect that you may have sleep apnea.
- You often wake drowsy, frequently wake up in the night, or have trouble falling or staying asleep.
Treat Sleep Apnea in Calgary with Outdoor Dental
Dr. Jay Patel can help determine if dental-based sleep apnea treatment is right for you. Outdoor Dental works with patients to treat sleep apnea in Calgary by first accurately determining whether or not a patient has sleep apnea using MATRx plus.
MATRx plus determines the presence of sleep apnea and measures how effective dental solutions will be for your treatment. This comfortable sleep test can be taken from the comfort of your own home. If dental solutions may be right for you, Outdoor Dental partners with a sleep physician before prescribing a sleep apnea treatment plan.
Do you need to treat sleep apnea in Calgary? Contact Outdoor Dental today to schedule an appointment.