We are conveniently located in Aventura, Florida. Just call for an appointment at 305.933.3070 or fill out our form.
If you are using a CPAP and it is not working for you, a dental appliance may be for you!
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
You look good, well, not as good as you think you could. You know that you could look and feel better. But work stress is getting to you. You feel some pain. Maybe it’s a few teeth. Maybe it’s in my jaw. I have been clenching my teeth. My assistant told me she saw me biting down on my teeth. She saw my jaw joint stick out when I think. I can’t have that! I don’t want people to know I’m stressed. Besides, I want to be more secure so I can be more successful. Most of all, I want to relieve my pain, whatever it is. Cost is a factor, but the costs will be worth it if I can feel more prosperous. Sleep is a key component to my success and I’m not getting much these days. My husband’s snoring is getting to me. I left sleeping with him and went to the guest room. I feel unfamiliar, uncomfortable without him sleeping by my side. This not good. By any stretch of my imagination, you think. You call for an appointment to relieve your pain. You find out that your husband’s snoring might be able to be helped with dentistry.
Snoring - Call in the Sheep and Start Counting!
Snoring is the culprit of many partners sleeping in separate bedrooms. This is no laughing matter and few people even know they snore. Worst of all, snoring can be a sign of the troubling and sometimes fatal cousin of Sleep Apnea.
What Hogs Are You calling when you Snore?
You are calling your hog that awakens your bed partner. You know your partner has jabbed you throughout the night to turn over!
What is snoring?
Snoring is a sound made in the upper airway of your throat as you sleep. It normally occurs as you breathe in air. It is a sign that your airway is being partially blocked. The sound is made as the flow of air causes tissue in the back of your throat to vibrate. The sound can come through the nose, the mouth, or both, the nose and mouth. It can occur during any stage of sleep.
Some people snore much more loudly than others. You may even snore loud enough to wake yourself up. Your snoring is sure to disturb your bed partner’s sleep. It may cause you to have a dry mouth or an irritated throat when you wake up.
Treatment
Dentist to the rescue! If you are disturbed by snoring, your dentist can give you an exam and suggest an oral appliance or mouthpiece. After the mouthpiece or appliance is used successfully, your dentist will connect with your medical doctor to order a sleep center test. An evaluation of the test results will determine if you are sleeping comfortably. You will have the night’s sleep you always wanted and your bed partner, well, will be again at your sleeping side. You can wake up to your life clear, smart and ready to take on your day with confidence.
We know how you feel.
You Are Awake and Can’t Wake Up! - Signs of Sleep Apnea
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). During sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs through your mouth and nose even though you try to breathe. When this happens, the amount of oxygen in your blood may drop. Normal breaths then start again with a loud snort or choking sound. People with sleep apnea move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night, resulting in poor sleep quality.
Some of the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea are: loud snoring; choking or gasping during sleep, and fighting sleepiness during the day (even at work or while driving). Other signs of sleep apnea may include: morning headaches; memory or learning problems; feeling irritable; not being able to concentrate on your work; mood swings or personality changes, perhaps feeling depressed; dry throat upon awaking, and frequent urination at night.
According to the National Institutes of Health sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders, and one of the most dangerous. Many people do not know they snore, or have sleep apnea. Usually a bed partner alerts a person with a jab in the ribs, or the partner simply gets up and sleeps in another room. Untreated sleep apnea can increase the chance of having high blood pressure and even a heart attack or stroke. Untreated sleep apnea can also increase the risk of diabetes, and the risk for work-related accidents and driving accidents. In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping. Each pause typically lasts 10-20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour.
Two Types of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which your breathing is interrupted for periods of 10 seconds or more while you are asleep. These interruptions may occur hundreds of times a night, causing you to gasp for air and disrupting your sleep.
Some common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Restless sleep
- Loud, heavy snoring often interrupted by silence and gasps
- Drowsiness or lack of energy, caused by the lack of sleep
- Headaches in the morning
- Irritability, forgetfulness, mood or behavior changes
- Anxiety or depression
There are two main types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea — This type of sleep apnea is typically caused by an airway blockage and is more common. It occurs when the muscles in the wall of the throat relax during sleep, causing the walls to collapse and obstruct airflow.
- Central Sleep Apnea — Believed to be related to a malfunction of the brain’s normal signal to breathe, with this type of sleep apnea the level of carbon dioxide in the blood rises, which may cause you to wake up.
If sleep apnea is not treated, it can lead to other serious health problems, including:
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Heart related conditions such as coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction and stroke
- Psychiatric problems such as depression
- Impotence and lack of interest in sex
- Cognitive dysfunction or memory loss
Use this questionnaire to check your sleep scale:
Epworth Sleepiness Scale
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is used to determine the level of daytime sleepiness. A score of 10 or more is considered sleepy. A score of 18 or more is very sleepy.
If you score 10 or more on this test, you should consider whether you are obtaining adequate sleep, need to improve your sleep hygiene and/or need to see a sleep specialist. These issues should be discussed with your personal physician.
Use the following scale to choose the most appropriate number for each situation:
0 = would never doze or sleep.
1 = slight chance of dozing or sleeping
2 = moderate chance of dozing or sleeping
3 = high chance of dozing or sleeping
Print out this test, fill in your answers and see where you stand.
____ Situation Chance of Dozing or Sleeping Sitting and reading
____ Watching TV
____ Sitting inactive in a public place
____ Being a passenger in a motor vehicle for an hour or more
____ Lying down in the afternoon
____ Sitting and talking to someone
____ Sitting quietly after lunch (no alcohol)
____ Stopped for a few minutes in traffic while driving
____ Total score (add the scores up)
(This is your Epworth score)
Our Smilestylers qualified staff can help you alleviate your snoring or sleep apnea. We are conveniently located in Aventura, Florida. Just call for an appointment at 305.933.3070 or fill out our form.