Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Dr. Lee Ostler
Dec 19, 2016
Does your spouse snore or have sleep apnea? Do you?
Snoring and sleep apnea are no laughing matter. In fact, it really is a matter of life and death! Sleep apnea is strongly linked with heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression and many other health problems. And often the main culprit is – obstruction or collapse of the airway during sleep.
Do you hate your CPAP?
Medicine’s main workhorse for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea is to use a CPAP device to inflate your airway to keep it open while you sleep. It actually works very well – when its used. And that’s the rub! Compliance and using it are the main drawbacks for many people fitted with a CPAP machine for breathing well during sleep.
Dentistry has a role to play in helping manage the human airway – both in its growth and development (think childhood / adolescent growth, orthodontics, etc) as well as in its treatment as a ‘grown up’.
“Sleep Dentists” work in partnership with sleep physicians to treat sleep apnea by making special oral appliances worn during sleep that help position and support the jaw and open the airway. These are especially helpful for people who can’t or won’t use their CPAP machines during sleep, for whatever reason.
If you snore, have sleep apnea, or have problems with your CPAP solution, please for your life’s sake, meet with Dr. Ostler and see if you are a candidate for a sleep oral appliance. Whatever you do, don’t ignore it or leave it untreated as its ill-effects are life-threatening.
