If I were to tell many sleep apnea patients that a dentist could help them, many would just turn round and say, "What are you, crazy?" But the truth is that these professionals have helped many sufferers with their condition. They are especially useful when used as part of a multi-disciplinary team to manage the condition. And in some areas you will actually find specialist sleep apnea dentists. So what can they do for you?
A specialist dentist or orthodontist can use oral appliances to move the position of the jaw and tongue to overcome some of the problems associated with obstructive sleep apnea. This is the most common type of sleep apnea and occurs when the airway is blocked by the soft tissues at the back of the throat. This leads to the person stopping breathing for short periods during the night, called apneas. These periods can last 10-20 seconds and occur many times throughout the night.
Disturbed sleep and daytime tiredness are two of the features of this condition. But sleep partners will be all too aware of one of the other symptoms of the disorder - loud snoring. It is not uncommon that a whole household has their sleep disturbed because of this.
There are two types of device that a sleep apnea dentist may use to overcome this problem. The first is a mandibular advancement device and the other is a tongue-retaining device.
Mandibular advancement devices move the jaw forward. This also moves with it the tongue and soft tissues at the back of the throat. This makes it less likely that the airway will be obstructed. These devices are made of acrylic or thermoplastic and are individually made to suit the patient. A tongue-retaining device has a compartment where the tongue is held by suction. This maybe useful for patients that have few or no teeth.
These appliances can be effective for overcoming snoring as well as sleep apnea. The best chances of success tend to be for patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea.
As with using other medical devices there can be a period of adjustment that is necessary by the patient. This can be due to aching or pain in the jaw and either a dry mouth or increased salivation. Talk these issues over with your sleep apnea dentist so that you can both come to a solution that works best for you.
For more advice visit our site at http://www.sleep-apnea-answers.com. You'll also find information on the causes of sleep apnea and the relationship between weight gain and sleep apnea.
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