For generations, dental patients have found themselves dreading a trip to the dentist. It’s 2016 and yet, a lot of people still don’t find themselves happy at the thought of spending any time in the dentist’s chair. The sharp instruments of torture – the sight of a big injector for anesthesia, along with pliers and other tools used to pull at stubborn tooth – don’t help much either.
But some dentists do more than fix your teeth or stop toothache in its tracks. With sleep dentistry, dentists are finding ways to help patients deal with their sleep problems, according to WebMD. Now that doesn’t sound as scary, does it?
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep dentistry is used to treat snoring and sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea refers to a condition where the tissue at the back of your throat collapses and effectively, even fatally blocks your airway while you sleep. No air getting through your passage means your whole body suffers from a lack of oxygen. When blood-oxygen levels get too low, though, it wakes you up.
In the case of snoring, those who suffer from snores often find themselves waking up because of the sound they emit. And if they sleep with a partner, then they risk disturbing their loved one’s sleep as well.
What Happens?
Because in both cases, those who snore or suffer from sleep apnea find their sleep disturbed and regularly interrupted. This could get in the way of getting a full night’s sleep. As a result, they’re often more sluggish during the day, irritable, have less energy to spend, are easily exhausted, and, all in all, less healthy as they continue to lose or lack sufficient rest. They’ll also usually wake up with a very sore throat, deal with morning headaches, reduced sex drive and have a hard time concentrating.
How Does Sleep Dentistry Work?
This is where sleep dentistry comes in. Patients can wear a custom-made oral appliance at night. These plastic devices are designed to pull the jaw forward. As a result, the tongue also moves forward, potentially keeping air passages open. That’s not all—it helps reduce incidents of snoring as well and prevents the tissue at the back of one’s throat from collapsing.
So the next time you find yourself dealing with persistent snoring or sleep problems, you might want to pay your local dentist a visit much more regularly than you ever did before. To get in touch with a sleep dentist, you can contact a professional practice like the Cascades Center for Dental Health.
Looking for a sleep dentist? Our team is trained in providing service, including sleep dentistry. Call us today to set your first appointment with the Cascades Center for Dental Health. You can also connect with them on Facebook for more updates.
