Do you know what OSA is? You may have it and not realize based on your symptoms. OSA stands for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in which you stop breathing for a prolonged period of time. Approximately 18-30 million adults suffer from it. Unfortunately, it is a life-long condition that can affect your sleep and overall health and quality of life.
At Mint Hill Dentistry, we can evaluate and create a customized sleep dentistry treatment plan for those with sleep apnea. To start, let’s begin with signs and symptoms of sleep apnea. These are things we would want to know if they apply to you during your consultation.
Daytime Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
- Headaches
- High blood pressure
- Daytime sleepiness; getting up in the morning and not feeling rested despite 6+ hours of sleep.
Nighttime Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
- Loud snoring
- Gasping for air
- Grinding your teeth
- Startled awake often
- Generally restless every night; Poor quality sleep
Treatments for OSA
There are treatments that can be done to alleviate OSA and improve your quality of life. This may include our advanced at-home sleep study that can measure your oxygen levels, heart rate, REM sleep and other metrics. After your consultation with us, we will recommend you complete a sleep study. We provide you with this device – an O2 Saturation Monitor.
We will review the study results with you and made the best recommendations for your level of sleep apnea. For those with mild to moderate sleep apnea we may recommend an oral appliance to treat OSA called a Somnomed. It is worn in the evening and will position your jaw the correct way to allow for more airflow. We will create this specialized device at our dental office. It is important to know that we work in conjunction with a Sleep Medicine MD. If our at home sleep test indicates that you have OSA, then we will also refer you to an MD for a formal diagnosis and discussion of options that would include a Somnomed, or potentially a C-PAP depending on your individual needs.
Questions? Contact Us.
Many people diagnosed with OSA also have trouble with other health problems including diabetes and heart disease. It is important to be evaluated to potentially add years to your life and lower the risks mentioned above. Give our office a call if you think you may need to be evaluated for possible OSA.