Sleep apnea robs sufferers of the high quality sleep that they need in order to feel good during the day. Additionally, sleep apnea can leave the patient vulnerable to experiencing all kinds of serious health problems down the road.
For all of these reasons, our O’Fallon sleep apnea dentists provide effective and simple sleep apnea treatments to our patients. We know that sleep apnea treatment can seem kind of daunting; we hope that this explanation helps you feel more confident pursuing treatment.
Sleep apnea is a disorder that occurs at night, as the patient is asleep. As the patient sleeps, his or her relaxed oral tissues fall into his or her airway. This obstruction prevents the body from inhaling all of the oxygen it needs during the night.
· This disrupts the patient’s sleep and causes him or her to wake up multiple times in the night so that the body can “jump start” the breathing process. Consequently, the patient is unable to complete healthy REM cycles. This is why so many sleep apnea sufferers feel chronically fatigued, and deal with memory problems and mood fluctuations.
· Sleep apnea causes the patient’s blood oxygen levels to drop. Long-term, this can make a patient more susceptible to suffering from a host of whole-body problems, including heart problems and stroke.
Our O’Fallon dentists use comfortable oral appliances to help sleep apnea sufferers find relief. These appliances are like customized mouthpieces. You’ll simply wear your sleep apnea mouthpiece at night; this oral appliance helps your mouth stay in a healthy position, that allows your airway to stay open throughout the night.
Don’t let sleep apnea hinder your daily life and put you at risk for long-term health problems. Our dental team can provide you with any additional information that you may need about sleep apnea treatment—just give us a call!