Do you find yourself sleeping on the couch because of a snorer in your house? While it can be pretty annoying to the bed partner, snoring can also be a sign of life-threatening sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is defined by episodes when breathing stops during sleep. Untreated sleep apnea has been linked to heart attack and stroke while contributing to high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, low libido, weight gain, automobile accidents and more. The rumbling or gasping sounds of snoring are often the first symptoms of sleep apnea.
Working with a sleep physician, Dr. Samaha and her highly trained team at Port Warwick Dental Arts help apnea patients breathe easier during sleep, making dramatic improvements in their health and quality of life.
Ask about FDA-approved sleep studies, which can be done in the comfort of your own bed. If a sleep study, along with a sleep physician’s diagnosis, shows that you have apnea, a CPAP breathing machine is often the first approach to treat severe cases. Unfortunately, CPAP machines, with their face or nose masks, straps, hose and oxygen supply, can be uncomfortable, unwieldy and embarrassing. Research shows that more than 50% of those who should be using a CPAP machine, do not.
An oral appliance can be a highly effective treatment for those:
- who cannot or will not wear a CPAP machine
- with mild or moderate sleep apnea
- who simply have a snoring problem
With a sleep physician’s referral, a custom-fitted oral appliance from Dr. Samaha gently shifts the lower jaw forward, moving the tongue out of the throat and allowing air to flow freely. An oral sleep appliance can be life-enhancing, even life-saving, for those individuals who cannot or will not wear a CPAP machine due to physical, emotional or practical reasons. It can also help to rescue a marriage troubled by a partner’s frustration – even anger -over having had his/ her sleep disrupted throughout the night.