What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is basically a condition in which, when you are sleeping, whether at night or during the daytime, your body forgets to breathe. Then your brain wakes you up and tells you, “Hey, you stopped breathing, start breathing again.” It is an episode of no oxygen going to the brain, which makes the brain wake up, and that basically is the crux of sleep apnea. Commonly, people know it as, “Oh, I’m snoring at night, my wife is waking me up because I make these weird sounds at night.” That is all related to sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea can happen in any age group, from a little child all the way to adulthood and geriatric age, so there is no age restriction for sleep apnea. But over time, as we grow older, our muscles become more and more relaxed, and at that time, sleep apnea becomes more likely.
How does sleep apnea affect oral health?
Sleep apnea affects our oral health in many ways. Number one, we start grinding our teeth, and that’s one of the common effects of adjusting our jaw to sleep better and breathe better at night. Number two is dryness of the mouth. Maybe sometimes we are opening our mouths to breathe better at night without realizing it. Dry mouth leads to gingivitis, or gum inflammation, because gums are not supposed to be dry. They are supposed to be moist with saliva.
The third thing is periodontal or gum disease because of that. Number four is mouth sores. For the same reason, because our mouths become dry, soreness starts developing. Bad bacteria start evolving more and more in those spots. So a lot of grinding, gritting, breakage of teeth, and breakage of old restorations such as crowns or fillings can all be related to sleep.
Who can diagnose sleep apnea?
Most of the time, unless your wife is waking you up at night and telling you, “Hey, you need to do something about it,” the dentist will be able to identify possible sleep apnea. Diagnose it, not so much, but they will be able to tell you that maybe you are having sleep apnea. The right diagnosis is made when you get a sleep study done, and that is done by a sleep specialist or pulmonologist. The dentist will observe and make recommendations. You have to get a sleep study done, and then the dentist can make oral appliances, and that is what we do in our practice. We make a lot of oral sleep appliances that help you with your sleep apnea and help you sleep better at night.
What are the treatment options for sleep apnea?
There can be many treatment options, but first and foremost, you need to see a sleep specialist. Depending on the rating they give your sleep apnea, if it’s mild to moderate, then a dentist can make an oral appliance. Oral appliances go in between your teeth. They adjust your jaw in a certain manner, and that way you will not have sleep apnea at night, and you’ll be able to sleep better. Your body is able to recuperate better because you’re sleeping well, and your brain is not waking you up every 10 minutes or every 10 seconds to ask you to breathe.
Another treatment modality is a CPAP machine, which is recommended by physicians and sleep specialists. If you are having severe sleep apnea, that is a contraption that goes on top of your nose and is connected to a machine, and it forcefully pushes air into your nose so that your body is well oxygenated. For some patients, they are able to tolerate a CPAP machine well, but some patients are not able to tolerate it, in which case oral appliances are then recommended by dentists.
There is also oral surgery of some sort in which the muscles on the inside are lasered out, and soft tissue is reduced. If a person is obese or if there’s extra tissue in the back of the throat, yes, a surgical procedure such as laser can be done, and that can also take care of some part of sleep apnea. Having said that, that has to be in combination with oral appliances. There are different types of oral appliances on the market, but depending on your specific case, we will recommend an oral appliance for you.
How do I know if I should call Capitol Dentists about sleep apnea?
That is very simple. If you’re observing that, yes, you are indeed snoring at night, or gritting or grinding your teeth, or making weird sounds while sleeping, or waking up during the wee hours, which is abnormal, or waking up to drink lots and lots of water, that is another indication that may mean you are mouth breathing, these may be signs of sleep apnea.
Call Capitol Dentists at (202) 223-2070 or email [email protected]. Our team is happy to answer your questions and help schedule your visit.
