Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep. Snoring, the sounds made when sleeping, is a separate sleep disorder often associated with sleep apnea. The consequences of these sleep disorders if left untreated include cardiovascular disease, heart failure, stroke, high blood pressure, and premature death.

An accurate diagnosis of your precise sleep disorder is necessary prior to the personalized prescription of any dental appliance for the treatment of sleep apnea. This process begins with an overnight sleep study (polysomnography) performed under the direction of a sleep physician who will discuss the findings with you and make appropriate treatment recommendations, which may include a dental appliance.

Dr. Stephen Deal focuses on treating this condition in a way that makes the most sense…. Increasing the airway to avoid or lessen these pauses in breathing. There are ways to temporarily increase the airway for the patient. These types of treatments include sleeping with specific oral appliances to keep the lower jaw out of the way of the air flow. Other more permanent fixes include developing the jaws in a more forward position (growth guidance) so that they are always out of the way of air flow. For children who are still growing, growth guidance to allow maximum development of the jaws is paramount to avoiding this life-altering condition.

If you are having trouble sleeping or notice any of the following with yourself or a loved one, give us a call for a consultation today!

Signs of poor sleep:

• grinding
• snoring
• dry mouth in morning
• early morning headaches
• muscle soreness
• excessive daytime fatigue

Common signs of airway issues/poor sleep in children:

• ADHD
• Bedwetting
• night terrors
• excessive grinding
• mouth breathing
• snoring
• frequent ear infections