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Sleep apnea treatment in Suwanee, Georgia at Hello Family Dental
If sleep apnea is affecting your health and quality of life, we can help. Dr. Patel is an experienced family dentist with expertise in treating both sleep apnea and sleep bruxism. These two conditions are closely linked. In fact, sleep apnea is one of the most common reasons for patients to show signs of nocturnal teeth grinding (sleep bruxism). By effectively treating sleep apnea with our general dentistry treatments, Dr. Patel can restore your night’s sleep, improve your quality of life, and protect your smile from teeth grinding damage.
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that occurs when your muscles relax during sleep, enabling soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. As a result, repeated cessations in breathing can occur, often reducing oxygen levels by up to 4%. These breathing pauses, of anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute, are followed by brief awakenings that can significantly disturb your sleep.
While sleep apnea is often accompanied by snoring, teeth grinding and daytime sleepiness, it can lead to more serious health problems if left untreated. Your risk becomes higher for high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic acid reflux. Not to mention, your overall well-being and quality of life can suffer dramatically. If you experience snoring, gasping, or choking while you sleep, turn to Dr. Patel for the most proven treatments in sleep apnea.
Get a good night’s rest again with sleep apnea treatment
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that impacts the quality of sleep, as well as the rest of your health and well-being. Why see Hello Family Dental, a dental office, for help with sleep apnea? Oral appliances are typically considered one of the most effective methods for treating obstructive sleep apnea, and your dentist is the best professional to provide you with this device. Once you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, Dr. Mitul Patel and his staff at Hello Family Dental in Suwanee can provide you with a custom-fit mouthguard.
Why is taking a sleep apnea test important?
Sleep apnea is a chronic and serious health condition that can potentially be life-threatening. When sleeping, sleep apnea can cause you to stop breathing or develop shallow breath. The pauses reduce oxygen levels and can last for seconds or even over a minute before you return to a normal breathing pattern.
This disruption in breathing can shift you out of deep sleep. Even though you may not fully wake, moving into a lighter sleep when you aren’t supposed to interfere with your quality of sleep and leaves you feeling extremely tired and fatigued during the day, seemingly without explanation.
The most common cause of sleep apnea is airway obstruction. When your muscles relax during sleep, this enables the soft tissues in your throat to block the airway and restrict breathing. Sleep apnea is also one of the most common reasons for patients to show signs of nocturnal teeth grinding, known as sleep bruxism.
Signs of sleep apnea
Your Johns Creek dentist, Hello Family Dental, is one of the best professionals to diagnose your sleep apnea. Worn-down tooth enamel, receding gums, and even multiple cavities can all be indicators of sleep apnea, and your dentist will recognize these. Your dentist’s deep understanding of the structure of the mouth and jaw allows him to identify excess soft tissues in your mouth, which leads to the condition of sleep apnea.
Some of the most common signs of undiagnosed sleep apnea that you (or a loved one) can recognize on your own including:
- Constant exhaustion. Poor sleep can be caused by many things, but if all other health conditions and temporary situational conditions (hello, parents of newborns) have been ruled out, you could be experiencing disrupted sleep cycles
- Loud snoring, gasping or choking. Excessive, loud snoring may indicate undiagnosed sleep apnea. Your body makes these noises to try to breathe normally again
- Morning headaches. People who grind their teeth at night often wake to headaches, but oxygen deprivation caused by sleep apnea can also create morning headaches
- Using the bathroom at night. When you are in a lighter sleep more often than you should be, your body will recognize this and may tell you that you have to urinate instead of allowing you to wait until morning as usual
- Mood swings and memory problems. Lack of sleep can make you cranky, irritable, and prone to forgetfulness
- Needing to nap. If you can’t stay awake during the day and chronic fatigue or side effects from medications are not the cause, you may have exhaustion from sleep apnea
Your body needs restorative sleep. If sleep apnea interferes with your ability to rest your brain, heart, other vital organs, and muscles you are less equipped to fight off infection or illness and are susceptible to developing other health problems, including:
- Cardiovascular disease, leading to a heart attack or strokes
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Chronic headaches
- Weight gain
- Gum disease
- Chronic acid reflux
- Anxiety and depression
Oral appliances to stop sleep apnea
Oral appliance therapy is an effective treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. A custom-fit snoring appliance, similar to a nighttime mouth guard, can be the answer to an improved night’s sleep and revitalized health. The guar fits over your upper and lower teeth, realigning the position of the jaw and tongue to keep the airway open.
Non-invasive, comfortable, quiet, and convenient, an oral appliance supports your jaw in a more forward position, which helps maintain an open airway while you sleep. This can greatly reduce sleep apnea episodes and snoring. Since research indicates that an increase in teeth grinding is directly proportional to the increase in the frequency of apnea episodes, oral appliance therapy can also protect the health of your smile.
You deserve a good night’s sleep. Revitalize your life, protect your teeth from grinding damage, and improve your REM cycle with an appointment with Dr. Patel at Hello Family Dental to discuss oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea. Contact us today to schedule your consultation. We serve all North Atlanta communities at our My Johns Creek dental office.
Snoring appliances
We can help you with your sleep apnea condition at Hello Family Dental, an inclusive, friendly office in Suwanee. Dr. Patel provides oral appliance therapy as an effective treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. A simple custom-fit snoring appliance, much like a nighttime mouthguard, can be the answer to an improved night’s sleep and revitalized health.
Oral appliance therapy is a non-invasive treatment that is comfortable, quiet, and convenient. By wearing this appliance, your jaw can be supported in a more forward position, which helps to maintain an open airway while you sleep. This can greatly reduce sleep apnea episodes and snoring. Since research indicates that an increase in teeth grinding is directly proportional to the increase in the frequency of apnea episodes, oral appliance therapy can also protect your smile.
At Hello Family Dental, we take your quality of sleep seriously, as it can affect your appearance, relationships, health, energy level, and ability to enjoy life. Early diagnosis and treatment for sleep apnea and sleep bruxism are critical. If you have been told that you snore or grind your teeth at night or if you suffer from excessive fatigue during waking hours, contact our office today schedule a consultation with Dr. Patel in Suwanee.
Start with our free sleep apnea assessment
If you think you might be suffering from sleep apnea, fill out the fields below to submit your assessment to Dr. Patel.
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