Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment
If you're tired all day because you suffer from sleep apnea, visit a dentist to get sleep apnea treatment.
Millions of Americans suffer from sleep apnea, but a relatively low percentage ever receive the effective sleep apnea treatment needed to help cure them of their symptoms. Sleep apnea, commonly associated with snoring, is more than simply a nuisance, it involves potentially life-threatening symptoms that deprive your brain of oxygen. In most cases, the body becomes instantly alerted to the lack of oxygen and will wake, often gasping for breath. However, in severe cases, breathing can stop for well over a minute before the body takes measures to correct the problem, creating a dangerous situation.
Options For Successful Sleep Apnea Treatment
- Find out if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.
A serious medical condition, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common cause for patients to seek sleep apnea treatment. It occurs when the tongue and soft palate block the airway during sleep, and patients can be affected for a variety of treatments. Tests to provide an accurate diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea are fairly simple and straightforward, and are the first step toward getting you the help you need to cope with the issue. - Consider whether or not surgery is the best sleep apnea treatment for you.
Surgery is a very effective sleep apnea treatment, but often viewed as a solution of last resort. In most cases, it’s necessary to consult with a dental specialist, who will evaluate your upper airway and keep an eye out for any possible obstruction causing your symptoms. In many cases, surgery is not necessary, as the condition can be treated with a less drastic approach. - Ask your dentist or physician about oral appliance therapy.
Possibly the most common sleep apnea treatment, there are well over three dozen FDA-approved oral appliances designed for treatment of sleep apnea disorders. While these will not cure your sleep apnea, they will help eliminate your symptoms by ensuring your jaw, teeth, tongue, and soft palate stay in the proper position as you sleep. If you have braces of any kind, check to see if any sleep apnea devices offered by your dentist will work with them. If you’ve never had your tonsils and adenoids removed, this might also be recommended. Ask your dentist for some recommendations if this type of treatment is new to you.