Sleep Apnea Treatment

Having a hard time catching a good night’s sleep? You are certainly not alone. The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that over 22 million Americans are affected by this disorder and over 80% of those persons suffer from a moderate or severe case of sleep apnea.

Our office offers custom made oral appliances to treat sleep apnea symptoms.

Sleep Apnea is incredibly dangerous. It can shorten your life and lead to a litany of other ailments including high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and heart failure. Beyond other cardiovascular issues, sleep apnea contributes to drowsiness, depression, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Sleep apnea affects people of all ages, but predominantly affects men over 40 years old. One of the scariest realities about sleep apnea is that it’s often untreated and undiagnosed.

Excess weight and obesity most often cause sleep apnea. As you sleep, the tongue and throat muscles become relaxed and block the soft tissue located in your mouth and throat. As the soft tissue relaxes, it can block your airway and deprive you of oxygen.

Milder cases of sleep apnea can be turned around by changes in behavior. Shedding weight, cutting back on alcoholic beverages, quitting smoking and altering your sleep position can help reverse the symptoms.

Lans Family Dentistry offers custom-made apnea mouth guard oral appliances to treat your symptoms. If you choose this route, it’s critical to go to a professional rather than purchase a generic, one-size fits all mouthguard. Just as you wouldn’t expect every dental retainer to align your teeth, an over the counter oral appliance won’t cure your sleep apnea. We’ll help you create a dental impression and create an FDA compliant device that fits properly. Plus, we’ll follow up with you over time to ensure that your device continues to work over time.

Consider these facts about Sleep Disorders:

• 1/4 of the U.S. population suffers from sleep disorders.
• 40 million individuals are chronic sufferers.
• Less than 10% have been diagnosed or treated to date.
• More than 40% of adults over 40 snore (87 million Americans).
• 24% of males and 18% of females suffer from snoring.
• 60% of males and 40% of females over the age of 60 snore (female snoring increases after menopause).