Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when your muscles relax during sleep, allowing soft tissue to collapse and block your airway. This can cause you to stop breathing for anywhere from a few seconds to over a minute at a time. These breathing pauses are followed by brief awakenings that disturb your sleep – even if you don’t realize it!
Symptoms of OSA
Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include loud or frequent snoring or silent pauses in breathing and choking or gasping sounds. Other common symptoms include:
Waking in the morning feeling unrefreshed
Being tired during the day
Morning headaches
Waking up frequently at night to go to the bathroom
Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
How is OSA Diagnosed?
Obstructive sleep apnea must be diagnosed by a physician, but you can be screened have a home sleep apnea test completed with Montesano Dental. There are two main ways to test for sleep apnea, either an overnight sleep test at a sleep center or a home sleep apnea test (HSAT). A sleep specialist will interpret the data from your sleep test. The information from the evaluation and the sleep test results will be used to determine if you have OSA.
How is OSA Treated?
If you are diagnosed with OSA, your doctor will discuss treatment options with you. OSA treatments include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, oral appliance therapy (OAT), or surgery. CPAP therapy is a very common treatment for OSA, but OAT is also an effective treatment option.
Oral Appliance Therapy
OAT is an effective, non-invasive treatment option for snoring and OSA that fits easily into your lifestyle. An oral appliance looks like an orthodontic retainer and is worn only during sleep. It supports the jaw in a forward position to help keep your upper airway open, which prevents sleep apnea and snoring.
Dr. Kevin Farr is trained to provide OAT and can make a custom-fitted oral appliance using impressions and models of your mouth. Patients enjoy it because it’s comfortable, easy to wear, quiet, portable, convenient for travel and easy to clean.
Treating snoring or sleep apnea with OAT can help you feel like a new person. You will find that your symptoms - and your quality of life - can improve dramatically when you remain committed to your treatment and use it nightly. Custom-fit oral appliances from Montesano Dental can improve your sleep, restore your alertness, and revitalize your health. If you have concerns about snoring and sleep apnea, contact us today! Our team at Montesano Dentalis ready to answer your questions about obstructive sleep apnea and oral appliance therapy.