Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Dental Appliances Are An Alternative Treatment To The Common CPAP.
Sleep apnea is a serious, and potentially life-threatening, sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is a common disorder that causes pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. As a result, not enough air reaches your lungs.
A person with sleep apnea is constantly awoken by the body due to lack of oxygen. In many situations, the person suffering from this condition is not even aware that it is happening.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, you may benefit from a machine that delivers air pressure through a mask placed over your nose while you sleep.
Although CPAP is the most common method of treating sleep apnea, some people find it cumbersome or uncomfortable. As a result many people have given up on CPAP.
Furthermore, sleep apnea causes hypoxia, reduced oxygen, which may lead to abnormal blood flow auto-regulation and hypertension. In addition, there is decreased cerebral oxygenation during apneic episodes, and thereby the possibility of ischemia-induced optic nerve damage. For patients who have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea or refuse to wear their CPAP this could be causing nerve damage.
Researchers have found a strong association of Glaucoma with sleep apnea disorders due to factors such as poor blood flow to the eye and brain.
A link also exists between Hypothyroidism and sleep apnea. The symptoms of Hypothyroidism (swollen tongue and soft tissue in the mouth and throat) may be responsible for the Sleep Apnea. As stated earlier, another frequent symptom of hypothyroidism is obesity, which can also cause sleep apnea. Getting the correct diagnosis between Hypothyroidism and Sleep Apnea is critical for an optical lifespan.
Sleep can often be a barometer of your overall health. Sleep Apnea can lead to serious health problems over time, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and weight gain. Eating healthier and sticking to a weight loss program will both highly benefit anyone who suffers with sleep apnea.
It’s that time of year when we make our New Year’s Resolutions and being healthier should be top priority. Being healthier should be top priority. Spending more time with family and friends can be cut short if you are living with undiagnosed sleep apnea or refusing to wear the CPAP, side effects include: Morning headaches, memory problems, inability to concentrate, feeling irritable, depressed and having mood swings.
Many people who suffer from Sleep Apnea are never able to feel comfortable with the intrusive CPAP treatment and often refuse to wear the mask which leaves them in a very high risk zone if they do not address this very serious sleep disorder and find a treatment that they are comfortable with and use on a regular schedule.
If CPAP has not been a treatment you are comfortable with or you’re not seeing the results you want, stop in at Pelican Landing Dental and see Dr. Rich Gilbert for a complimentary consultation to anyone who hates or refuses to wear their CPAP. Dr. Rich will go over the many benefits of a dental alternative to the CPAP, which is a small custom fabricated dental appliance that can be equally as effective as a CPAP and much less intrusive. This dental appliance is worn in the mouth like an orthodontic appliance during sleep. The appliance keeps the soft tissues of the throat from collapsing and interrupting normal breathing patterns.
After a brief consultation, Dr. Rich will determine if you’re a candidate for oral appliance therapy. All of Pelican Landing Dental’s oral appliances are completely custom fabricated from the mold of your mouth and thereby effective and easy to wear. Dental devices are designed to open the airway so that patients can breathe more easily at night. Most find that it typically only takes a few nights to get used to wearing. Please take advantage of this great offer and make your appointment today. Make 2014 your best year yet!
