As you lay back in the dentist’s chair at the dentist’s office the last thing you are probably thinking about is the poor sleep that you have been getting recently. However, as you talk to your dentist, you begin to realize that your sleep and dental health are directly related.
Sleep breathing disorders are often first detected by a dentist. These disorders are usually found rooted within the muscles in the back of the throat, tongue size, jaw size, all areas that dentists see as they examine you. One of the most common sleep breathing disorders is sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea is a condition in which there are repeated breathing interruptions during a sleep cycle. Some signs that you may have sleep apnea are:
Grinding or clenching of your teeth is often associated with a sleep breathing disorder, like sleep apnea. This grinding or clenching can lead to headaches, worn down teeth, pain in your jaw, and TMD (temporomandibular dysfunction). In addition to teeth clenching, continuous snoring wears down your oral health. As you snore, your mouth begins to dry out; there less saliva fighting off bacteria. This allows bacteria and other organisms to multiply leading to infections, sores, and decay.
People with sleep apnea have a higher incidence of stroke, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, and dementia.
Oral factors that are taken into consideration when looking at sleep apnea are things such as:
Talk to your dentist during your next check-up. If they suspect sleep apnea, they can help connect you to a sleep study so that it can be verified. A sleep study will track your sleep and mark your snoring, sleep position, oxygen levels as well as any apnea. A 3D Dental CAT Scan offers a powerful airway analysis function (restrictive airway and airway volume).
Once you have been diagnosed with a sleep breathing disorder, your doctor can make some recommendations based on your situation. Some of the treatments for sleep breathing disorders are as follows:
These comprehensive sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) treatments are simply some of the ways to help treat your sleep breathing disorder.
At Breiner Whole-Body Health Center in Fairfield, CT, we will look at every aspect of your health to ensure that you receive the best treatments for you. We can help you from the dentist chair to the sleep study to finding you a treatment that works for you.