Do you have trouble sleeping at night because you have disrupted breathing when you sleep? If you snore loudly, wake up gasping, or feel like you can’t breathe in the night, you may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea makes it hard to get restful sleep. When you fall asleep, the muscles in the back or your throat and tongue relax. For some people, these muscles relax so much that the airway collapses. This leads to loud snoring, waking up feeling out of breath, or waking up many times throughout the night.
One treatment option is to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. You’ll wear a mouth and nose piece that’s connected to a small machine sitting on your nightstand. A CPAP machine keeps air moving through your lungs during the night, so you get restful sleep. However, not everyone adjusts to a CPAP machine and gets better sleep.
How Does Dental Sleep Medicine Help?
Chittenden Dental is dedicated to giving you the best sleep possible. That’s why we specialize in Dental Sleep Medicine. This is an area of dentistry that focuses on creating custom-made oral appliances to help you sleep. We work with sleep physicians to design an oral appliance you can wear during the night. Dental Sleep Medicine can treat sleep-disordered breathing, snoring, and sleep apnea.
Oral Appliance Therapy
A custom-fit oral appliance can help you sleep soundly through the night. You won’t wake your partner with snores in the night, or wake up numerous times throughout the night. When you crawl under the covers, just put in your oral appliance to sleep soundly. They’re custom fit to your mouth, so they’re easy to put in and take out. This guard will feel almost like an orthodontic retainer or a sports guard.
The oral appliance will support your jaw in a slightly forward position. It keeps your airway from collapsing when you sleep. This simple solution can treat sleep apnea and help you sleep through the night.
The Benefits of Dental Sleep Medicine
An oral appliance can help you wake up feeling energetic, and you’ll enjoy all the great benefits of deep and restful sleep. Some benefits of Dental Sleep Medicine include:
- A completely non-invasive treatment, so there are no risks.
- Oral appliances are easy to wear, and comfortable during the whole night.
- Oral appliances are a lot more portable than CPAP machines. You can take your oral appliance anywhere, and get great sleep when traveling.
- Dental Sleep Medicine can help you sleep deeply, feel more alert, and improve your mood.
- You will feel less irritable, and get along better with your family and friends.
- An oral appliance can reduce daytime drowsiness and fatigue.
- Wearing an oral appliance and sleeping better can prevent serious health concerns such as heart disease or high blood pressure.
- Dental Sleep Medicine can reduce or eliminate snoring. Your partner will also enjoy a good night’s sleep!
Dental Sleep Medicine can improve your sleep and your quality of life. Dr. Mike Morris provides Dental Sleep Medicine in Burlington. If you haven’t been getting enough sleep, visit the Chittenden Dental team and learn more about oral appliances that can help you sleep soundly.