Get Relief from Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common form of sleep apnea, and despite its stereotypical symptoms, it often remains under-diagnosed and under-treated.
The main reason is that sleep apnea symptoms often seem pretty normal to many people. Chronic snoring, waking up in the middle of the night, and daytime sleepiness are great examples of OSA symptoms that can be easy to ignore, especially when you’ve experienced them for a significant part of your life.
Don’t put off treatment.
If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea or strongly suspect you have OSA, it’s crucial to follow through with getting treatment.
Sleep apnea may seem harmless initially, but it will affect your long-term mental and physical health. People with untreated sleep apnea risk developing heart disease, hypertension, cardiac events, stroke, diabetes, and a reduced life expectancy.
You can protect your health and get relief through one or a combination of these effective options.
1. CPAP Treatment
CPAP treatment is a popular and effective option for treating moderate and severe cases of sleep apnea. CPAP is an acronym for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, and it works by blowing air through a person’s nose or mouth via a mask. There are also minimalistic CPAP masks that only cover a person’s nose, but these are only effective if the person doesn’t open-mouth breathe while sleeping.
Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure or BIPAP is similar to CPAP, but this system only blows air during the inhale. As a result, the BIPAP device has a stronger airflow and can be an alternative if CPAP isn’t improving symptoms.
Although CPAP and BIPAP are highly effective, they aren’t the right choice for everyone. Wearing a mask at night takes some getting used to, and some people simply never find it comfortable.
2. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Orofacial myofunctional therapy has shown to be very effective in treating sleep apnea, both as a standalone treatment or as an additional therapy to other treatment options.
Orofacial myofunctional therapy is like physical therapy for the facial, mouth, and throat muscles. It helps people gain control over the movements of these muscles to improve everything from speech to, you guessed it, sleep apnea. Most myofunctional therapy exercises for sleep apnea treatment focus on the mouth and throat to improve breathing.
Treating sleep apnea with orofacial myofunctional therapy takes time and practice, but the results are well worth the effort. Our own Lindsey Edwards at Ada Smile Place is trained and certified in providing myofunctional therapy. She works with patients with various issues to attain ideal function of the muscles.
3. Oral Appliances
If you have mild to moderate OSA, you could get relief by wearing an oral appliance.
Oral appliances look similar to a mouth guard, but they are specialized devices that manipulate your tongue and jaw to prevent collapsing of the throat. A popular type of oral appliance is called a mandibular advancement device. These devices bring your jaw into a more forward position while you sleep, which helps keep the airway open.
Having your oral appliance selected and fitted by a dentist is crucial. The device needs to be custom-fitted to your jaw to work effectively; otherwise, it won’t stop your symptoms, or it could cause pain.
4. Lifestyle Changes
Factors in your lifestyle, health, and habits can increase your risk of sleep apnea. Improving these factors can help you manage your symptoms. Mild OSA may even be fixed with lifestyle changes.
Maintaining a healthy weight is often recommended after a patient has begun another form of treatment to ease their symptoms. Tiredness is a common symptom of sleep apnea, which makes exercising exhausting. You’ll have more energy using CPAP or an oral appliance to manage the symptoms first.
Eating a nutritious diet is also a great way of helping your body. Remember, healthy eating isn’t about losing weight; it’s about giving your body the fuel it needs to feel great.
As for other habits, strongly consider stopping the use of tobacco products, vaping, and excessive alcohol consumption. Your doctor can advise you on successfully finding help for these habits.
5. Surgery
When all other methods of sleep apnea treatment fail, surgery may be the only option to get permanent relief.
Many different types of oral surgery can stop sleep apnea; it just depends on what your anatomy needs. If your tongue is the issue because it moves too far back and blocks your breathing, you may need genioglossus advancement (where the lower tongue muscle is pulled forward). If your jaw is the culprit, maxillomandibular advancement surgery (where the upper and lower jaws are moved forward to enlarge the airway) can help.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing Treatment at Ada Smile Place
The Ada Smile Place team understands the connection between your oral and overall health. A healthy mouth supports a healthy body, and vice versa, so we take swift action to treat sleep apnea and other sleep-disordered breathing issues.
Our dentists will work with your GP to form a diagnosis for sleep apnea and begin to develop a treatment plan that fits your needs. We provide custom oral appliances, and Lindsey Edwards, our orofacial myofunctional therapist, can help you gain control over your facial and oral muscles.
Schedule an evaluation at our Ada, OK, office to better understand your sleep apnea and how to get control over your symptoms.
