This device consists of a machine with a tube and a mask that you attach to your face at night, and it circulates air in an effort to provide continuous pressure to keep your airway open, therefore preventing the airway collapse that comes with obstructive sleep apnea.

However, while CPAP therapy is effective when used properly, it’s also known for being too uncomfortable and noisy for many patients. For some, CPAP prevents the exact thing it’s designed to do—facilitate a good night’s rest and reduce sleep apnea symptoms.

Could your dentist help get you off your CPAP? Here’s how your oral healthcare professional might just be able to provide another way for sleep apnea relief!

Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) for Sleep Apnea

An oral appliance is a device that’s similar to a retainer and is worn inside the mouth. This device prevents the collapsed airway and snoring that sleep apnea patients experience.

Oral appliances are custom-made for your unique jaw structure and come in different designs depending on what you need. Some of these devices shift the lower jaw forward, allowing the airway to remain open, and others prevent the tongue from blocking the airway during sleep [1].

Patients who use oral appliances for sleep apnea love the discreetness of the device, making not only sleeping but traveling easier. The device is simple, comfortable, and gives patients a new way to keep their airway open during sleep and stop the severe consequences associated with sleep apnea.

What Does Research Say About the Effectiveness of OAT?

Some patients might be hesitant to switch to an oral appliance from a CPAP machine. However, research shows that an oral appliance can be just as effective as CPAP, just without the discomfort!

Research shows that oral appliances can work as an effective alternative to CPAP for the majority of patients who suffer from sleep apnea [2]. Other studies show that patients who have mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea can benefit from oral appliances for their treatment [3].

Further research concluded that it was easier for patients to comply with OAT therapy as
opposed to CPAP, making it a viable option for long-term treatment [4]. Some people neglect to wear their CPAP mask nightly, as it can make sleeping uncomfortable and prevent patients from committing to the treatment long-term. However, treatment is essential to curb your sleep apnea symptoms, some of which can be life-threatening.

Tired of Your CPAP Machine?

If your doctor has prescribed a CPAP machine to manage your sleep apnea, it might be time to follow up with your dentist to determine if oral appliance therapy could work for you. For many patients, these devices provide a way to successfully manage sleep apnea without the need for a machine!

Sources:
1. https://www.aastweb.org/blog/benefits-of-sleep-apnea-dental-appliances-pros-and-
cons
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3738032/
3. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/36/9/1289/2453867
4. https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/50/suppl_61/PA4725

The post Can Your Dentist Get You Off Your CPAP? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

But how exactly does your sleep schedule impact your dental health? Here’s what you need to know when it comes to getting proper sleep and your tooth and gum health!

Lack of Sleep Could Increase Your Risk for Gum Disease

Sleep deprivation can affect your risk for gum disease and even influence the severity of gum disease [2]. Researchers suspect the link here is inflammation—when the body doesn’t get enough sleep, it tends to produce more inflammatory hormones.

Inflammation is a key component in gum disease, as it can cause the gums to swell and become irritated, usually as the result of bacteria that’s accumulated around the gumline. However, lack of sleep can cause gum disease to become worse—and cause the need for more advanced treatment to reverse the condition.

Sleep Keeps the Immune System Strong

Your immune system plays an important role in fighting off potential oral infections such as gum disease and even oral thrush. Fortunately, sleep helps keep the immune system strong to be able to defend the body against such infections [3].

When you don’t get enough sleep, whether due to an irregular sleep schedule or a hectic lifestyle, you effectively lower your immunity and make your oral cavity more susceptible to problems.

Disrupted or Poor Sleep Can Impact Oral Health

People who experience disrupted sleep are at an increased risk to experience poor oral health, according to research [4]. A prime example of this is people who snore or have sleep apnea—their mouth breathing and consistently interrupted sleep makes proper rest impossible, leading to lower immunity and a higher risk for oral health problems.

Mouth breathing such as that seen in sleep apnea or in people who snore can also dry out the oral cavity and lead to an increased risk for cavities. Fortunately, seeking treatment for sleep apnea can help lower your risk!

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Consistency is important when it comes to sleep—while everyone is different, a good general rule is to get a minimum of seven hours every night. Ideally, you should wake up and go to bed at the same time to maintain your schedule.

If you have trouble sleeping, reducing your caffeine and sugar intake at least two hours before bed, avoiding bright lights (especially blue light emitted from electronic devices), and sleeping in a cool, dark room may help improve your sleep quality. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for more than just your body—your teeth and gums will thank you as well!

Sources:
1. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-
disease-risk
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4520116/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256323/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5536213/

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If your child is grinding his or her teeth, what can you do? When you suspect your child may
have bruxism, it’s time to seek help from your dentist to prevent and treat this disorder. The
following are our top tips to stop bruxism for good in your child!

Manage Stress

Stress is one of the top causes of teeth grinding. If your child is experiencing stress at home or
at school, he or she may be grinding their teeth as a result.

Helping to manage your child’s stress can help you prevent bruxism. If your child is
overscheduled or is facing stress due to tension at school or home, it’s important to address
this issue in addition to seeking help for your child’s teeth grinding.

Prevent Anxiety and Hyperactivity

Hyperactive children are more likely to grind their teeth. If your child is hyperactive or has been
diagnosed with attention deficient disorder or attention deficient hyperactive disorder, teeth
grinding may be more likely.

Children who suffer from anxiety may also be more prone to teeth grinding. Helping to prevent
and manage anxiety and hyperactivity may help stop your child’s teeth grinding!

An Improper Bite

Children who have a misaligned bite may be more prone to grinding their teeth. For some
children, a misaligned bite can be painful, and teeth grinding can happen in response to pain.

Getting your child evaluated for braces by an orthodontist no later than the age of seven can
help you know if your child is suffering from an improper bite and what can be done about it.

Treat the Underlying Problem

Treating the underlying cause of your child’s bruxism is essential. Without knowing what’s
causing the problem, it can be difficult to implement a long-term solution. Your child’s dentist
or pediatrician can help you uncover the root cause of your child’s teeth grinding.

Whether it’s stress, anxiety, hyperactivity, or an improper bite, you can figure out what’s going
on with your child. You may need to address the issue from a holistic standpoint with your
child’s pediatrician and his or her dentist if not a psychiatrist.

Consider a Nightly Mouthguard

After working to determine what’s causing your child’s bruxism, you may need to consider a
nightly mouthguard while working to address the root cause.

Bruxism can quickly work to damage teeth and irritate gums, so protecting the teeth is crucial,
even if your child is receiving treatment for the cause of their bruxism.
Your dentist can create a custom mouthguard for your child so that his or her teeth will be
protected while you’re seeking treatment.

Are you worried that your child is grinding his or her teeth? Don’t ignore bruxism—it’s
incredibly harmful and may permanently damage your child’s smile. There is help and hope for
bruxism, so schedule an appointment with your dentist today to discuss treatment options!

The post How to Prevent and Treat Your Child’s Teeth Grinding appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

There are different types of sleep apnea a patient may be diagnosed with. What are the differences between mild and severe obstructive sleep apnea?

Mild Sleep Apnea Characteristics

If you’ve been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea, this means you experience between 5 and 14 different instances of cessation of breathing every hour. When you think about the standard person sleeping 8 hours, this means you could stop breathing over 100 times every single night! Mild sleep apnea may also be accompanied by fatigue during the day as well as snoring at night.

Your partner may notice that you have a restless sleep or wake frequently during the night. Typically, a person with sleep apnea will have no recollection of these periods of being unable to breathe. Although mild, this form of obstructive sleep apnea still needs to be treated.

Severe Sleep Apnea Symptoms

People who have severe sleep apnea stop breathing 30 times or more every hour while they’re asleep. This means they may stop breathing almost 250 times every night. Severe sleep apnea shares many common symptoms with mild sleep apnea, such as snoring, fatigue, and restless sleep, although these symptoms may be more pronounced.

If you have severe sleep apnea, you’re also much more likely to experience other health problems that come with obstructive sleep apnea, including headaches upon waking, severe fatigue during the day, and even suffering from depression. Severe sleep apnea is life- threatening and should be treated by a specialist.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Any additional medical conditions you have as well as the severity of your fatigue may influence what level of obstructive sleep apnea you have. A sleep study, which typically occurs overnight, is the most common way to properly diagnose sleep apnea. Your dentist can talk with you about your symptoms and refer you to a sleep specialist if you suspect you suffer from this disorder.

For many years, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines were considered to be the only treatment for sleep apnea. Modern advances in treatment have enabled most types of sleep apnea to be treated with oral sleep appliances. These appliances don’t fit much differently than a retainer and are easy to wear and travel with. Best of all, they help alleviate your symptoms of sleep apnea, helping your life return to normal.

Are you experiencing any symptoms of sleep apnea? Your dentist or physician can help you get a proper diagnosis so that you can get the treatment you need to experience a better night’s sleep. Talk with your dentist today about your symptoms to determine if mild or severe obstructive sleep apnea could be impacting your life and your health!

The post What Are the Differences Between Mild and Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

These episodes can happen only few times a night or hundreds. Sleep apnea hugely affects your overall health, but fortunately, your dentist can help treat the problem. Here’s why you shouldn’t ignore sleep apnea and what your dentist can do about it.

Sleep Apnea Increases Risk for Chronic Disease

Sleep apnea is a dangerous, life-threatening condition. This is because your body is being deprived of necessary oxygen during the periods that you can’t breathe. Among its many health effects, sleep apnea can:

Put you at higher risk for high blood pressure
Increase your risk for heart problems including heart attacks and stroke
Raise your risk for depression and mood swings
Increase your risk for diabetes
Cause headaches

Since sleep apnea deprives the brain of oxygen, it can also impact your cognitive skills and ability to remain awake throughout the day. This increases your risk of being involved in an accident and your overall risk of death.

Not Getting Enough Sleep Impacts Your Entire Body

In addition to increasing your risk for serious health problems, sleep apnea also impacts your day-to-day life. This condition can cause weight gain, asthma, and acid reflux. Sleep apnea has also been found to be responsible for weakening the immune system, therefore making your body more susceptible to illness.

When it comes to cognitive performance, sleep apnea greatly impacts memory. It could lead to memory loss much earlier in life. When your body isn’t able to get a deep, restful sleep, it isn’t able to store and catalogue information as well as it might have if you’d not been woken up repeatedly.

Your Dentist Can Provide a Simple Solution

The good news about sleep apnea is that it usually has a simple solution, especially if you have the most common type, which is obstructive sleep apnea. During obstructive sleep apnea, your airway is suppressed by one or a combination of several different factors, including muscles that relax too much, being overweight, or the structure of your head and neck. Regardless of what’s causing your obstructive sleep apnea, you can combine oral sleep appliances with the necessary lifestyle changes your doctor recommends for treatment.

An oral sleep appliance is a custom-made, small device that fits easily in your mouth to keep your airway open while you’re sleeping. Patients usually find it much easier to wear than the traditional sleep apnea breathing mask. The best part is that it can alleviate your sleep apnea symptoms!

If you’re experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea, don’t ignore what could be a life-threatening condition. Your dentist can talk with you about your symptoms and refer you to a sleep specialist for diagnosis. You can continue treatment at your dentist office to start feeling good again!

The post Sleep Apnea Affects Your Overall Health, and Your Dentist Can Help appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.