Sleep apnea is one of the most dangerous sleep disorders. It is marked by temporary pauses in breathing that can happen up to hundreds of times throughout the night. While you may not know you have sleep apnea episodes during the night, the daytime consequences can be quite obvious and severe. In fact, untreated sleep apnea has been linked to many cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke and heart arrhythmias.

What you may not know, however, is that sleep apnea treatment doesn’t have to involve a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. Patients can now seek a dentist who is trained in sleep medicine and determine their candidacy for oral appliance therapy instead.

Warning Signs of Sleep Apnea

If you don’t have a bed partner that suspects your sleep apnea disorder, it can be difficult to know you have it. However, the frequent drops in oxygen throughout the night and poor quality of sleep due to this condition can create some obvious daytime symptoms over time. Consider a proper sleep study and evaluation if you suffer from the following warning signs associated with sleep apnea:

• Loud Snoring
• Wake up Gasping for Air
• Overweight
• High Blood Pressure
• Daytime Fatigue
• Poor Concentration
• Easily Irritated, Depressed or Moody

Let Your Dentist Treat Your Sleep Apnea

While CPAP machines can be effective in treating sleep apnea, many patients are unwilling or unable to tolerate these bulky devices during sleep. Instead, patients may qualify for a much less invasive and more comfortable therapy from a sleep trained dentist. At Soft Touch Dentistry, we proudly provide custom oral appliances for sleep apnea, which are proven effective to reduce snoring and improve your quality of sleep. These oral appliances work by keeping the jaw pulled forward and relaxed so that there is no obstruction of airway.

To learn more about oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea, call Dr. Thompson at our O’Fallon office today. Your entire body relies on quality sleep!