Sleep Apnea in Wilsonville, OR
Sleep apnea is a pretty serious condition. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t even realize that their restless sleep and daytime exhaustion could be due to this common sleep disorder. If you’ve been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it may be a good time to sit down with our Wilsonville, OR, dentist, and the team at Town Center Dental Care, to talk about your treatment options.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Over 18 million Americans are currently living with sleep apnea—a sleep disorder that causes breathing to stop or become shallow throughout the night, disrupting your natural sleep cycle. While many people may have this disorder and not even know it, this sleep problem can affect waking hours, as well. Those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) will often experience excessive daytime sleepiness, problems concentrating, and morning headaches.
Is Sleep Apnea a Serious Condition?
Sleep apnea affects how millions of Americans sleep every night. Those diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) will stop breathing multiple times throughout the night. This potentially life-threatening condition also increases your risk of certain health disorders like heart disease, heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure, and also makes you prone to more accidents, whether automobile or work-related, due to the excessive daytime exhaustion you may experience.
How Can Sleep Apnea Be Treated?
The standard course of treatment for sleep apnea is usually CPAP equipment, which delivers a steady, controlled stream of pressurized air through a hose that attaches to a facemask that is worn while you sleep. This air helps to keep your airways open to prevent obstruction and help you sleep better.
How Can I Know that the Sleep Apnea Equipment Will Properly Accommodate Me?
Each sleep apnea device is custom-fitted to your mouth to target and address your specific needs. Since all mouths are shaped differently, these devices cannot be one size fits all. This is why you need to turn to our qualified dentist in order to be properly fitted for your oral appliance.
Is There an Alternative to Using Sleep Apnea Equipment?
There are some people that experience CPAP intolerance, whether it’s due to latex allergies or mask leaks. If you haven’t found relief through CPAP equipment then it’s time to talk to us about whether oral appliance therapy could treat your OSA symptoms.
Oral appliance therapy is designed to treat those with mild to moderate OSA, and may actually eliminate the need for CPAP equipment or surgery. If you have severe OSA this oral appliance may also be used in conjunction with other treatments to help you manage your symptoms.