When you have sleep apnea, this could impact how alert you feel and even strain your heart health and immune system. Our team can help, and we can do so with a comfortable alternative to the CPAP machine. Our team of cosmetic dental experts in Greensboro, NC, are ready to help tackle your sleep apnea!
The Causes and the Risks of Sleep Apnea
With sleep apnea, while you rest the soft tissues at the back of the mouth and in your throat become too relaxed and collapse. This collapse cuts off airflow, so you stop breathing until the brain wakes you. While you may not recall being woken up, this interrupts your sleep cycle hundreds of times a night for some patients. The result is daytime drowsiness, moodiness, difficulty concentrating, issues with memory, headaches, and dry mouth. You may wake in the night choking or gasping for air, and chronic snoring is often a common symptom. Over time, this could strain your immune system so you are more likely to become ill, and the stress on your cardiovascular system could increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. But we can help!
Designing Your Oral Appliance
If you have sleep apnea and need treatment, we will take detailed digital images of your smile from multiple angles. We then combine these and use them in a lab setting to design and custom-fit an oral appliance. The device will look and fit like a mouthguard, and is worn at night.
Treating Your Sleep Disorder
When you wear your oral appliance, this helps shift the jaw and tongue forward to prevent the collapse of soft tissues. You then breathe without interruption and wake up feeling more rested and alert. The device itself is easy to use and clean, and can travel with you during the holidays too. You could also help by sleeping on your side instead of your back, avoiding screens in the hour before bed, and keeping your bedroom dark and cool. A good sleep environment and you should also try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
If you have any questions about how we diagnose and treat sleep apnea with an oral appliance, or if you want to schedule a consultation, then contact our team today to learn more. You can also use your remaining 2024 dental benefits before they expire!
Enjoy Better Sleep With Dental Care Of Greensboro!
Our team is ready to help you get better rest and wake feeling refreshed and alert. To find out more about sleep dentistry, give us a call today at our Greensboro, NC dental office at (336) 854-9270.