Snoring and Sleep Apnea

What You Need To Know

Most people do not realize that snoring is usually a sign of serious health problems. Snoring occurs when the airway in the back of the mouth is narrowed, or blocked for one or more reasons.

A narrowed airway means there is a reduction in airflow to the lungs. Less air to the lungs means less oxygen is getting into the blood stream, and therefore less oxygen is getting to the brain, heart and other important organs.

The word apnea comes from Greek, it literally means “without breath.” Any reduction in airflow is considered apnea. There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by the narrowing, or often complete blockage of the airway during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

Sleep apnea is very common. The most common risk factors include being overweight, over the age of forty, enlarged tonsils, large uvula, narrow mouth, and large tongue, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant, even deadly consequences.

A common warning sign of sleep apnea is daytime tiredness

When sleep apnea is present not enough air is getting into the lungs. Therefore the brain is not getting enough oxygen, and instead of performing it’s normal functions during sleep, the brain is working very hard to get more oxygen.

Untreated, sleep apnea is associated with high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, diabetes type 2 gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD), headaches and grinding the teeth at night. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues.

There are simple screening tests available, and if felt to be warranted a sleep study can be arraigned to give a definitive diagnosis and assess the degree of apnea, and risk to your health.

By now you may be wondering what does dentistry have to do with snoring and sleep apnea.

If a sleep study shows that you have severe sleep apnea, then it is recommended that a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine be used. It is basically a pump and mask that goes over your nose and mouth and forces air into your lungs under pressure. The pressure is calibrated to your needs.

If your sleep apnea is found to be mild or moderate you can have a dental appliance fabricated, that will hold your lower jaw in a forward position. The tongue will move forward with the jaw and thus open the air way.

A full 70% of people for whom a CPAP machine is prescribed cannot tolerate it for one reason or another. In these cases an oral appliance, can be of help.

The first step is to call for an appointment to discuss your situation and take a simple screening test. If it is felt that a sleep study is needed, we can arrange it for you. More information can be found at: The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, www. AADSM.org