Obstructive sleep apnea (also known as OSA) is a serious and damaging health problem that can rob a person of not only a good night’s sleep, but their overall quality of life as well. You may have tried to use a CPAP machine to correct the problem, only to find it too noisy and bulky to stick with. What now? Thankfully, Jacksonville Complete Dentistry offers sleep apnea therapy to patients in need! Please contact our Jacksonville dentistry practice today if you have any questions, or if you’re ready to schedule a consultation.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially deadly and serious medical concern. Millions of Americans suffer from sleep apnea, many do not know they have it, and many know they suffer from this disease and remain untreated. Our dentists have years of experience working with patients who are diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, and we would be happy to answer your questions during preventive dentistry visits.
Obstructive sleep apnea happens when the tissues in the back of the throat relax during sleep, resulting in a cessation of breathing. If this were to happen during the day, our brain would simply order us to move the air past the obstruction. During sleep, many people’s brains do not do this and the person stops breathing several or many times per hour. When breathing stops, the body does not get an adequate intake of oxygen. The heart will recognize this and pump more vigorously as a result. While many of us love our muscles to be larger, we certainly don’t want the heart to grow too large. This results in a potential failure of the heart.
In addition to cardiovascular risks, other risks and dangers of obstructive sleep apnea include an increased risk of stroke, daytime or morning sleepiness, increased incidence of accidents, mood changes, inabilities to think clearly and focus, and a host of other problems.
Our doctors’ go-to solution for helping you breathe easier at night is a custom-made oral appliance. These appliances (also known as “snoreguards”) are specifically designed to reposition the jaw and/or tongue in a slight, comfortable fashion. As a result, airway blockage (the direct cause of OSA) no longer occurs, and the patient can breathe just fine throughout the night.
While this device is complex in its design, the theory is simple. The device will protrude the jaw forward. This will stretch out the tissues and eliminate or minimize the obstruction. This has been shown to be transformative for many patients!