Sleep Apnea

Over 8 million adults in the United States have sleep apnea. If you’re dealing with sleep apnea, dentist Alecia Hardy, DDS, and the qualified dental professionals of Frisco Dental Implant Center in Frisco, Texas, have solutions. The team offers patient education, intraoral devices, nightguards, and more to help you gain better control over your condition. You deserve refreshing sleep that can enhance your quality of life. Call the Frisco Dental Implant Center office or use the convenient online scheduling tool.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a health condition where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during your sleep. Sleep apnea can prevent you from reaching the deeper and more beneficial stages of your sleep cycle.

If you don’t have sufficient air supply, it can decrease the amount of oxygen present in your blood. Your brain quickly wakes you from sleep so you can open your airway.

Different types of sleep apnea can affect people of all ages.

Obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea involves the temporary relaxation of your throat muscles, like your soft palate and tongue. This closes or narrows your airway and negatively affects your breathing. The sleep disruptions typically happen at least five to 30 times every hour, and you might not even know it.

Central sleep apnea

Central sleep apnea refers to the improper communication between the muscles that control your breathing and your brain.

Complex sleep apnea syndrome

If you have both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea, it’s called complex sleep apnea syndrome.

What causes sleep apnea?

It isn’t always clear what causes sleep apnea, and various factors might play a role, such as:

• A narrowed airway
• Sedatives and alcohol
• Aging
• Obesity
• Nasal congestion and allergies
• Smoking
  

Sleep apnea happens more commonly in men.

How is sleep apnea diagnosed?

The Frisco Dental Implant Center dental professionals work closely with your physicians and sleep specialists to treat snoring and sleep apnea. You’ll need to have a diagnosis from a sleep center so a dentist can work with you and your insurance to give you the most beneficial personalized treatment for sleep apnea.

During your visit, you have a complete clinical evaluation involving a thorough examination of your teeth, tongue, jaw, and airway and any additional testing, such as digital X-rays.

How is sleep apnea treated?

The practice provides several treatments to help manage sleep apnea, including effective intraoral devices and patient education to help you improve your lifestyle. Most intraoral devices fit into your mouth like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer and support your jaw forward to help you maintain an open upper airway.

Your dentist customizes your intraoral device using digital or physical impressions or models of your teeth. The models are typically sent to a special dental lab, where a highly qualified lab technician constructs your appliance. You return to the office for your fitting, and you’ll need follow-up visits to determine how your treatment is working.

Don’t stay stuck for solutions for sleep apnea when the friendly team at Frisco Dental Implant Center is here to help.

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