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Sleep Apnea Dental Appliance

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Sleep Apnea Dental Appliance Used As Apnea Treatment

In sleep apnea, the muscles in the throat may relax too much, which narrows the airway significantly. The tongue may also collapse, or fold back, thereby closing off the air passage and disturbing the normal flow of breathing. This is a severe condition, one that may affect vital organs like the brain and heart. Oral appliances have been proven to provide positive results in sleep apnea patients by controlling the movement of the tongue or by repositioning the lower jaw to allow the airways to stay open. Sometimes, all a person may need is a sleep apnea dental appliance to help their sleep apnea symptoms, but most often, they are used in conjunction with a Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machine. To determine if a sleep apnea dental appliance is right for you, both your medical doctor and your dentist should evaluate your condition. However, it's important that you choose a dentist that has experience in fitting these oral appliances. Not every dentist does, and a poorly fitted appliance may cause additional problems.

Different Types Of Oral Appliances

With over forty different types of sleep apnea dental appliance available to help sleep apnea symptoms, you may feel overwhelmed at first. But your dentist will tell you that the principles used in these devices fall into two general categories, which should make your selection much easier. Basically, oral appliances are classified by how they work or by their specific design.

Tongue retaining appliances and mandibular repositioning appliances are the two most widely used sleep apnea dental appliance. You are going to have the basic idea of how they work because their names are descriptive. How a tongue retaining appliance works is a retainer holds the tongue in a forward position, which prevents the back of the tongue from collapsing during sleep. The next device places the lower jaw in a protruded position to maintain the airway open at all time. Success rate in treating sleep apnea patients with both of these oral appliances have been promising.

Choose the Right Dentist

This step in getting a sleep apnea dental appliance cannot be stressed enough. The dentist you select must have specific knowledge in this area. Your nasal passages and airways will be completely examined with a diagnostic tool that uses sound waves. This will give the dentist a complete picture and will enable the sleep apnea dental appliance to be correctly fitted.

Sleep Apnea Dental Appliance

Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by pauses in breathing while you sleep. Basically, once you have this condition, you miss a couple of or more breaths. Although sleep apnea is largely about structural abnormalities - that is, some of the parts of your body are not working at optimum or are not designed properly - it can be prevented. Yes, there are things that you can do to still keep your body from breathing properly. Here are some of them:

1. Don't lie supine.

Sleeping on your back (supine) increases your chances of developing sleep apnea. A very simple explanation of this involves gravity. When you lie on your back, the tissues on your throat "bow down" to the pull of the earth, as such, they block your airway, causing it to narrow.

If you are pre-disposed to sleep apnea and you want to stay away from the CPAP mask - in Toronto or elsewhere - try lying on your side. Studies reveal that this condition happens more (at least twice) to those who lie on their back than to those who lie on their side. By simply doing a simple "lifestyle change," you are getting rid of that sleep apnea mask.

Still in relation to sleeping positions, you can try using a special pillow that elevates your neck at a certain degree. Sleeping "upright" helps generate more oxygen into your brain. Of course, with more oxygen, you are less likely to wake up just to suck in air. This is indeed a simple method in keeping yourself away from the sleep apnea mask.

2. Lose weight.

Obesity is a risk factor of sleep apnea. Therefore, if you are weighing beyond the limits, try losing weight. This approach would not only keep you away from a sleep apnea mask, but it will also help promote total wellness - both in your mind and body. A study conducted in 2000 contends that weight loss results to 26% reduction in risks of developing the condition. Whereas, those who gained weight increased their chances by 6 times!

Weight loss also reduces the incidence of snoring, a phenomenon that's highly correlated with sleep apnea.

3. Use Nasal Strips.

Breathe Right strips and other nasal strips are available over-the-counter. These strips are helpful in preventing snoring. Remember, snoring (at excessive levels, that is) is one of the signs of sleep apnea. Therefore, once you are able to minimize snoring, you are also able to reduce your chances of ever using a sleep apnea mask.

4. Stay away from cigarettes and liquor.

Smoking worsens sleep apnea. So if you are a smoker, try quitting now. You must also avoid taking in alcohol at least 4 hours before sleeping as this also increases your chances of developing sleep apnea. By having a clean lifestyle - staying away from cigarettes and liquor - you are doing yourself a favour, as you lessen your chances of ever needing a sleep apnea mask.

Prevention is better than cure indeed! If you are pre-disposed to sleep apnea, might as well take the prevention tips discussed above. That way, you don't have to deal with machines such as the Respironics CPAP machines - in Toronto or elsewhere. Most of all, you don't have to worry about missing a precious breath!

CPAP Clinic - healthcare at your home

We serve Greater Toronto Area in Canada.

Contact: 1-877-430-CPAP(2727) or info@CPAPClinic.ca

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Both Suzy Hughes & Dhaxel Barqs are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Suzy Hughes has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sleep Apnea, Skin Care. Get more information on sleep apea and make sure you check Suzy Hughes' excellent free report on . Suzy Hughes's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.

Dhaxel Barqs has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Sleep Apnea. Frustrated at not finding that or that. Dhaxel Barqs's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.

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