Do you snore loudly or wake up breathless in the night? You may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems and negatively impact your quality of life. Fortunately, we can help!
Sleep apnea is an involuntary cessation of breathing that occurs while you sleep. There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Of the three, obstructive sleep apnea, often called OSA for short, is the most common. While disruption in breath may not seem too serious, patients with sleep apnea can stop breathing as much as a hundred times a night, often for a minute or longer. Sleep apnea is linked to causing other serious health problems including:
Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. But how do you get treatment?
Give Dawson Family Dentistry a call. We can give you a take-home sleep study that will help us assess your condition and determine if you have sleep apnea. Or, if you've already been diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea, or have severe sleep apnea and cannot wear a CPAP, we can get you started on treatment right away. Dr. Dawson can construct an oral appliance that will help keep your airway open as you sleep, helping you feel relaxed and rejuvenated following sleep instead of tired!
An oral appliance is the leading alternative to the CPAP. This appliance looks like a retainer or athletic mouth guard and is designed to position the jaw slightly forward to open the airway and protects against the negative effects of teeth grinding caused by sleep breathing issues.
What you can expect at your appointment:
"For over 15 yrs I have struggled with severe sleep apnea which led me to sleeping in a separate room from my wife. I have been a smoker for over 25 yrs and after multiple sleep studies it was determined that my apnea was more damaging and risk to my health than smoking.
I decided to give the typical CPAP device a go and it was 100% not for me. From the monthly cost, filters, cleaning, traveling with the bulky device and most importantly taking it off at night I stopped using it. Six months ago it was suggested that I reach out to Dawson Family Dentistry to look into the Oral Sleep Appliance that they were pioneering. I pulled the trigger and had a simple home sleep study done then fitted for the device. I'll be honest, I was skeptical of a "mouth guard" being the solution but I now wish this was available years ago. I am now sleeping through the night and feel like I actually get the rest that is needed. After a few nights I didn't even notice I was using it.
The whole process with Dawson Family Dentistry was seamless and straight forward. They are great at following up and making any adjustments needed to make sure you are comfortable and to assure the device is working the way intended.
I suggest this to ANYONE that struggles with apnea! It will benefit your relationship and add years to your life."
- Brent C.
"Being treated with an oral appliance for my sleep apnea has benefited my life tremendously. I no longer wake in the middle of the night and gasp for breath. I no longer snore and disturb my wife's sleep. I sleep deeper and feel more refreshed when I wake up. The process of receiving the appliance was easy and extremely effective. 5 stars!"
- Nick B.