What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a medical condition that is characterized by momentary pauses in your breathing during sleep. This can happen as many as 20-30 times each hour of sleep. This is a serious condition that limits the supply of oxygen to your body and affects your sleep quality as well as your overall health.

Because your brain is not getting sufficient oxygen, it sends a signal to your body to wake up and breathe. While you may not become fully conscious, being awoken several times during the night disrupts your sleep cycle and drastically reduces your sleep quality.

At Amazing Smiles Orthodontics, we help treat patients who are suffering from sleep apnea because the condition is often related to the structures found in your mouth. We can help you uncover the cause of your sleep apnea and work toward a solution that gets you sleeping better and feeling better.

WHAT CAUSES SLEEP APNEA?

Sleep apnea can result from three possible causes:

• Obstruction – caused by a physical blockage in the throat, mouth, or another area
• Brain signal failure – occurs when the brain fails to signal the body’s muscles to breathe
• Combination of obstruction and brain signal failure – known as complex sleep apnea or mixed sleep apnea and caused by a combination of the above factors

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SLEEP APNEA?

Consult one of our experienced doctors at Amazing Smiles if you suffer from any of the below indications that you have sleep apnea:

• Bed partner complains of loud snoring or pauses in your breathing at night
• Difficulty sleeping
• Morning fatigue or headaches
• Morning dry mouth
• Loud choking or snorting sounds during sleep
• Waking up short of breath
• Lack of focus during daytime hours
• Extreme sleepiness during the day

IS SLEEP APNEA DANGEROUS?

Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that should not be left untreated. Without proper treatment and care, sleep apnea could lead to the following complications over time:

• Extreme sleepiness, which could lead to:
• Automobile accident
• Accidents operating large machinery
• Poor work performance
• Poor academic work
• Heart failure
• High blood pressure
• Stroke

HOW IS SLEEP APNEA TREATED?

Our experienced orthodontists at Amazing Smiles have the background and training to address sleep apnea due to obstruction of the airway. We can perform a clinical exam at our New York orthodontist office and prescribe appropriate treatment options. Depending on your specific case, we can also offer custom-created dental appliances for sleep apnea, sometimes called a sleep apnea oral device or sleep apnea mouth guard, that will help you get the high-quality sleep you need and deserve.

If you are suffering from sleep apnea, speak with one of our providers at Amazing Smiles. For over thirty years, our practice has provided the highest quality of affordable dental care to patients in Forest Hills, Brooklyn, Long Island, and the surrounding areas.

We are the go-to specialists for orthodontic care, recommended by dentists all over the New York City area. Call us today at 718-275-3200or schedule an appointment using this form.