Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night on a regular basis? Has a spouse complained of loud snoring you can’t control? If so, you may be one of the many people suffering from sleep apnea. Stuart Dental has experience helping patients find relief from this condition. In many cases, we will recommend a sleep apnea device. These devices help restore your energy during the day and end the loud snoring that accompanies this potentially dangerous condition at night.
Sleep apnea, a condition in which your air passages are blocked during the night, is believed to affect as many as 18 million Americans. Unfortunately, most of those affected are unaware of their condition and never seek treatment. While central sleep apnea is caused by brain message failures, this condition usually involves the physical blockage of air passages. As a result, patients deal with symptoms like snoring, sleepiness, bouts of depression and, in the worst cases, a rise in blood pressure and even the risk of stroke.
Stuart Dental takes these risks seriously and can help patients overcome this problem by fitting your mouth with a sleep apnea device. To most people, a sleep apnea device will resemble the mouth guards worn by basketball and football players. There are several different types, but the main one prescribed is called a mandibular advancement device (abbreviated MAD). This device moves the lower half of the jaw forward slightly, freeing the blocked passages of air typically caused by an overbite. With this device inserted in the mouth overnight, patients find less restriction on breathing and tend to snore less.
A second type of sleep apnea device is known as a tongue retraining device (TRD). This device utilizes a splint that holds the tongue in place while you sleep. Since many people suffer from sleep apnea because their tongue is blocking air passages, the tongue retraining process is important. In fact, the tongue may naturally stay in place after a period of time using these devices.
A sleep apnea device should always be fitted by a trusted dental professional. Stuart Dental can make sure your device fits properly so getting a good night sleep with sleep apneayou can end the suffering caused by sleep apnea. Whether you are waking up a spouse in middle of the night because of your snoring or find yourself sleepy when driving home at night, the consequences can be significant. Dr. Medwid can help turn this unfortunate condition around and get you feeling fully rested every morning.
Call Stuart Dental Health Spa at 888-402-0016 to schedule an appointment.