Sleep Apnea

Many people suffer from sleep apnea and may not know it. Although it is common, it can be dangerous. Here at our Santa Maria dental office we can assess your signs and symptoms, as well as collaborate with your primary care physician and determine if you may benefit from a mouth appliance. If this condition goes untreated it can lead to other health issues. We recommend you give us a call to schedule a consultation and we can discuss what options might benefit you for your condition.

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What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition where the patient does not have a normal breathing pattering during sleep, rather there are unintended pauses in breathing. This condition while common, can be dangerous, which can possibly lead to death. Patients may not be aware that they have this problem. Patients with this condition will have seconds to minutes, where they will not breath during sleep. During these periods of anoxia (absence of oxygen) the body will wake the person up to restart their breathing.

While the patient may not be aware of these disruptions in their sleep, this can affect their sleep cycles (REM – Rapid Eye Movement), which can lead them to wake up tired and groggy. People with this condition tend to snore loudly or have a choking sensation. While not everyone who snores with this condition, this is one common symptom. One common method if you think you may have sleep apnea is to take the STOP-BANG test. However, to properly be diagnosed, please contact your physician as a sleep study will need to be performed for confirmation.

Two Common Sleep Apnea Conditions

Your physician will be able to inform you of the type of sleep apnea you present with, however, there are two common sleep apnea conditions that most people suffer from. These two conditions consist of central and obstructive sleep apnea.

Central Sleep Apnea

Here the brain fails to send signals to the body to breath. The failure of the signal will lead to the lack of normal breathing during sleep.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This is the most common form. Here the air has a hard time to flow through the nasal and mouth passageway, even though there is a proper signal from the brain. As the term implies, there is a form of obstruction.

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Why we Recommend Treatment

Sleep apnea is a condition that can be present however goes untreated for many. The dangers of this condition are the prolonged times of anoxia (lack of oxygen) during sleep. While we are unaware that this is happening during sleep, some may wake gasping for air. Others may experience minimal to no symptoms, however, feeling tired and groggy the next day. Studies have shown that the danger of this condition are acid reflux (GERD), adult asthma, daytime sleepiness, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, memory loss, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain.

CPAP or Mouth Appliances

The gold standard for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. There have been times when patients reject the use of a CPAP machine for varying reasons. In that case, a collaboration with you physician can be made to fabricate a mouth appliance. These appliances do not physically move air like the CPAP machine; however, they allow the movement of the jaw in a way to reduce the obstruction that prevents the proper ability to breath during sleep. These appliances are similar to a night guard appliance, but the idea here is that they will encourage the movement of the lower jaw slightly forward to allow for the opening of the airway. Another form of treatment for this condition is surgery. Please consult your physician regarding surgery for this condition.

Treatement Options

While the gold standard of treatment is a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, acquired through your physician, other dental appliances are available. You can schedule a consultation with Dr. Nima Mashhoon to discuss your sleep apnea condition, as well as determnine if you suffer from any other issues caused from unrest, like grinding of the teeth or pain in the jaw, and what solutions would be right for you. Your comfort is our priority and we are well versed in methods for sedation for a variety of procedures to ensure your visit is always stress and pain free.