Can Dentistry Help Sleep Apnea?

By Darlene Oakley HERWriter

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Obstructive sleep apnea is a rather common sleep disorder usually characterized by loud, chronic, ongoing snoring. There may also be pauses in the snoring followed by choking or gasping as the snorer starts breathing again. (While snoring is a common symptoms of sleep apnea, not all snorers have sleep apnea.)

Why does Sleep Apnea Happen?

The snoring associated with sleep apnea happens when a person's airway becomes narrowed or blocked. This can happen in several ways.

- the throat muscles or tongue relax more than normal at night, restricting the amount of space for air to pass through
- a person's tongue and tonsils are disproportionate to the hold of the windpipe
- if a person is overweight, extra soft fat tissues can thicken the windpipe wall, narrowing the opening or making it harder to keep the throat open
- a person's natural bone structure and head shape may mean that naturally a person has a smaller airway in the mouth and throat area
- as a person ages, the signals that keep a person's throat muscles stiff during sleep are weakened.

Many people think that "sawing logs loud enough to wake the dead" is just a normal sleep time thing. It's not. In fact, left untreated, the kind of snoring described above can result in lack of sufficient blood oxygen levels, which will trigger stress hormones, raise heart rates, increase risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, arrythmia, and increase the risk of and worsen heart failure. Untreated sleep apnea can also lead to alterations in how a person's body uses energy, which can in turn lead to increased risk of obesity and diabetes.

As we've seen in past articles, the human body is made to work together as a team. If any one of the body's systems is not working optimally or is compromised, it affects all the other systems.

Other symptoms of Sleep Apnea

It's difficult for people, particularly people who sleep alone or have no one else living in the home with them, to know whether or not they snore, let alone whether or not they stop breathing when they snore. Here are a few things to watch out for that could be indicators of sleep apnea.

- you find yourself fighting sleepiness at work, in the car, or during other down times
- you experience morning headaches
- you notice you've become irritable or depressed, or experience mood swings or personality changes
- you notice issues with memory or difficulty learning or are unable to concentrate
- you experience urinary incontinence at night
- you notice your throat is dry when you wake up

Sleep Apnea in Children

Yes, sleep apnea does occur in children. To determine whether it's "normal" snoring or heavy breathing, or sleep apnea watch for these other signs:

- hyperactivity
- poor school performance
- aggressiveness
- they sleep in unusual positions
- bedwetting
- they breathe through their mouth instead of their nose during the day (when they don't have a cold or allergies)

Treatments for Sleep Apnea

The goals of treatment for sleep apnea, whether symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe, are to restore regular breathing and alleviate the occurrences of the loud snoring (much to the relief of other members of the household) and daytime drowsiness.

For those with mild to moderate symptoms, lifestyle changes or dental appliances may be helpful. If you are diagnosed or suspected to be suffering from sleep apnea, you might want to consider:
- avoiding alcohol or medications that could make you drowsy (eg: muscle relaxants and anti-histamines); use of these things make it more difficult for your throat to stay open while you're asleep
- lose weight if you're overweight
- sleep on your side instead of your back to keep the airway open
- keep nasal passages open with breathing strips or nose sprays (anti-histamines in allergy medications will make you drowsy)
- stop smoking

As for the dental side, there are a couple of options. A dental splint helps keep the tongue in a certain position that will keep the airway open and clear. A mandibular advancement device (MAD), as the name implies, advances the mandible (lower jaw) forward thereby opening the airway, keeping the palate tight, and stopping snoring.

New laser dentistry technology can also help by restructuring the airway by trimming tissue from the back of the throat, the uvula, and the tongue.

A CPAP machine is also an option though many people find it awkward and uncomfortable. A CPAP machine forces pressurized air into the airway, to keep the airway open and maintain blood oxygen levels.

If you suspect you might be experiencing sleep apnea, or a loved one tells you you should get your snoring checked out, instead of being offended, start investigating right away. The sooner you can get your body back to its regularly scheduled program, the better off you--and your housemates, cohabitants, family--will be.

Sources: www.nhlbi.nih.gov, www.sleepdisordersguide.com, www.yourdentistryguide.com, www.mandibularadvancementsplint.com

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.