Sleep apnea is a serious, sometimes life threatening, health condition where an individual repeatedly stops and then restarts breathing off and on while sleeping. Common symptoms are snoring, gasping for air while sleeping, repeated episodes of stopped breathing during sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness/tiredness, headaches first thing in the morning, dry mouth after waking, and difficulty staying asleep.
Sleep apnea is divided into two types: Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) occurs when the muscles and soft tissues of the throat and neck relax during sleep resulting in blockage of the air way. OSA is much more common that CSA. OSA can often be treated with a dental sleep appliance.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) is a result of the brain not sending proper signals to control breathing during sleep. CSA is much less common that OSA with less than 10% of individuals with sleep apnea estimated to have CSA.
Both OSA and CSA are commonly treated with devices such as a CPAP or APAP. These devices used pressurized air delivered through face mask (nose or nose and mouth) to prevent collapse of the airway. OSA can also be treated with a dental sleep appliance as an alternative to CPAP/APAP therapy in many cases. Dental sleep appliances are designed to help keep the airway open during sleep by positioning the mandible in a way that it lifts the soft tissues of the throat. This is the preferred option of treatment for many patients with OSA, especially those patients who are unable to tolerate a CPAP/APAP type device.
Proper diagnosis of sleep apnea requires completion of a sleep study with review of results and diagnosis completed by a qualified sleep medicine physician. If you would like to find out more about dental sleep appliances and if a dental sleep appliance would work for you, we advise you to speak with both your sleep medicine doctor and your dentist.