Should You Get Screened?
Whether or not you have a job that can affect public safety, doctors say there are clear benefits to seeing your doctor to rule out sleep apnea if you suspect you may have symptoms. And even if you aren’t sure if you have any symptoms, you may want to speak to your doctor about being screened for sleep apnea if one or more of these categories apply to you.
- Obesity People who are overweight are at greater risk of having OSA. “When you gain weight, the lateral fat pads in the throat leave less room to breathe,” Dr. Chervin says. During sleep, the relaxation of the muscles and soft tissue in the throat make the throat even narrower, making it more difficult to get enough air.
- Family History of Sleep Apnea Researchers have found evidence that having a family history of sleep apnea can increase your risk for the condition. Studies have shown that sleep apnea may be hereditary, and that traits that affect sleep apnea such as face and skull shape or how the brain controls breathing during sleep, as well as genes that may be associated with obesity and inflammation, may run in families.
- Medical Condition or Illness That Raises Your Risk of Developing Sleep Apnea Conditions such as asthma, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and stroke all increase your risk of sleep apnea.
- Unhealthy Habits Harmful habits like smoking and eating an unhealthy diet can put you at greater risk for sleep apnea. Smoking can not only cause inflammation in your airways, which can affect your breathing, but it can also have a negative effect on how your brain communicates with your body during sleep and how well it controls your breathing. An unhealthy diet can lead to obesity, which is a leading risk for OSA.
- Alcohol Consumption Alcohol can increase relaxation of the muscles in the mouth and throat, causing the upper airway to become narrow or close. It can also affect how the brain controls sleep or the muscles involved in breathing during sleep.
- Use of Medications Such as Opioids Medications like benzodiazepinies and opioids can affect how well the brain regulates breathing and increase the risk of sleep apnea. Research published in October 2016 in the journal Chest showed that opioids may reduce airway muscle activation and increase risk for OSA.
What is Oral Appliance Therapy?
An oral appliance is a device worn in the mouth only during sleep. The device fits similar to a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer and prevents the airway from collapsing by either supporting the tongue or jaw in a forward position, thereby opening the airway. With a custom fitted oral appliance, we can help minimise or eliminate the symptoms of Sleep Disordered Breathing.
Sleep apnoea (in mild to moderate cases) including loud snoring, gasping and unpleasant noises. The device can also act as an alternative treatment for patients (on medical advice only) who have been prescribed CPAP by their medical consultant, finding it difficult to adhere to this therapy for management of their sleep apnoea condition.
How does Oral Appliance Therapy Work?
Oral appliances hold the lower jaw in a forward position, dilates the upper airway and preventing it from collapsing. This helps to:
- eliminate or reduce snoring noise levels
- improve sleep quality and general energy levels on wakening
- treat sleep apnoea disease progression
- improves bed partners sleep quality of life.
The Beacon Dental Clinic provide the following additional services
- Referral from consultant led medical diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing, noisy loud snoring and suspected sleep apnoea.
- CBT referral or medical advice for sleep disorder management.
- Dietician and weight management referral if indicated.
- Dental health care education.
- Dental Hygienist service and dental health care education
- Advanced restorative prosthodontic care
- Routine in office dental healthcare
Process of our Oral Appliance Therapy Program
Assessments
If you are referred to the Beacon Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic by a medical consultant, we will then assess your suitability for Oral Appliance Therapy. This will involve a dental examination, an x-ray evaluation and trial lower jaw advancement as indicated. Specific smart phone apps will be recommended to assist in the collection of sleep related noise and disturbances so as to assist in overall management.
If you have not been refereed by a medical practitioner we will assist you with the appropriate assessment and arrange any necessary referral or further investigation as part of your overall management.
Treatment Interventions
In the Treatment phase, you will be fitted with an oral appliance by an experienced restorative dentist with expertise in the field of dental sleep medicine, who will control and monitor your progress and response to treatment. All patients of the Beacon Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic are seen one week and one month following initial appliance delivery. You will also be provided with clear instructions as to the best use and care of your oral appliance.
Follow up appointments
Following habituation to appliance wearing nightly we will arrange (if necessary) for further evaluation of the efficacy of the therapy. This will involve specific user friendly overnight home based testing with sensor technology. This will be activated through a straightforward phone app download.
All patients with sleep apnoea diagnosis are referred back at this stage to their medical consultant for evaluation. The oral appliance is re-evaluated at the Beacon Dental Clinic at specified internals to evaluate its mechanical integrity and performance.
To book a consultation with the Beacon Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic, click here
Source https://www.everydayhealth.com/
