Sleep Apnea Treatment

Over 18 million individuals in the U.S. struggle with sleep apnea, according to the Sleep Foundation.

Sleep Apnea Explained

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a type of breathing sleep disorder where you experience repeat and brief pauses in your breathing while you’re sleeping that could last a minimum of ten seconds. OSA occurs when your back throat muscles can’t keep your airway open, regardless of your efforts to breathe. Some individuals experience this issue hundreds of times in a single night.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Typical sleep apnea symptoms include:

Excessive daytime sleepiness
Heavy snoring
Fatigue
Trouble with memory or concentration
Other symptoms

If you leave sleep apnea untreated, it could result in serious health consequences.

Sleep Apnea Treatments

Our dentist, Benjamin H. Hale, DMD offers several recommendations and treatment options for sleep apnea.

1. Lifestyle Changes

Making lifestyle changes can be an efficient way of mitigating sleep apnea symptoms. A few lifestyle changes you can follow to help decrease the severity of your apnea are:

Avoid alcohol. Alcohol can cause frequent nighttime awakenings and can relax your upper airway breathing muscles.
Lose weight. If you’re overweight, you should try your best to lose weight to help improve your sleep apnea. Having excess weight is a strong risk factor for sleep apnea.
Quit smoking. Smoking cigarettes can worsen upper airway swelling, which makes snoring and apnea worse.
Become physically active regularly. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle and exercise daily.

Dr. Hale specializes in correcting jaw and teeth issues to ensure your oral appliance can be customized to fit your jaw and mouth properly. With the right sleep apnea treatment, you can experience relief from sleep apnea symptoms and get back to experiencing restful, restorative sleep.

Other Treatment Options

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends sleep apnea retainers as the first line of treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea cases.

If diagnosed with sleep apnea, what are my treatment options?

In some cases lifestyle changes such as the following have been helpful:

Weight loss
Avoid sleeping on your back
Limit alcohol use and smoking

If you are struggling with mild to moderate OSA and haven’t been helped by or can’t tolerate CPAP, an oral appliance might be an ideal treatment option. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends sleep apnea retainers as the first-line treatment method for cases of mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Dr. Hale will fit you with a simple and easy retainer and provide you with the instructions you need to wear it properly. Our sleep apnea retainer will help to maintain the forward position of your lower jaw while you sleep to allow your airway to stay open and provide you with the oxygen and quality sleep you need.

There are a couple of types of oral sleep apnea therapy mouthpieces each having a unique function for opening your upper airway.

Tongue retaining device

This is a mouthpiece that holds your tongue in a forward position so it doesn’t block your upper airway.

Mandibular repositioning mouthpiece

This device covers your lower and upper teeth and holds your jaw in a position for preventing the blockage of your upper airway.

Sleep Test…in your own home

Do I need to have a sleep test done?

Yes You Do

Sleep apnea is a life threatening medical condition. Proper diagnosis and treatment will greatly affect your quality of life, and could possibly save it.

Simply Call To Schedule Your Home Sleep Test

When you arrive, Dr. Hale will calibrate the unit to your weight and height and instruct you on the proper fitting of the testing equipment. The WatchPat sleep measuring unit is trusted by medical clinics across the country. This unit, when used for two nights, gives accurate readings of your sleep behavior.

After your regular doctor analyzes your results, they will recommend a diagnosis. If necessary, you will be referred back to Dr. Hale with a prescription for the fitting of an easy and simple retainer. You will also receive all of the education you need for your new retainer.