Fed up with snoring and poor sleep? Find out how our dentist at Family Dental Care can help!

Are you frequently banished to the spare room or sofa because of your snoring?

Do you often wake up with a sore throat and feeling unrested or tired?

As awful as these symptoms are, they are far from uncommon and are often indicative of sleep apnea. Often the result of the lower jaw sliding backwards as we relax during slumber, the most common type of sleep apnea, obstructive, at best can be a nuisance and, at worst, can be a serious health issue, causing intermittent gaps in breathing. This condition can be worsened by lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking and medical conditions, like diabetes and acid reflux.

As you can see, sleep apnea is a very serious issue that typically requires medical intervention. You may be wondering what Family Dental Care, a dentist in Doncaster East, can do to alleviate sleep apnea and its symptoms? Read on to find out!

Diagnostics!

When you visit our dentist in Doncaster East in relation to snoring issues and sleep apnea, the first thing we will do is try to establish if you are actually suffering from sleep apnea.

Many people snore from time to time and this can be the result of large tonsils, an untreated throat infection, clogged sinuses or asthma.

If all of these medical issues are clear, then we move on to determining the severity of the apnea by how much it is affecting your sleep.

Sleep studies

If our dentist in Doncaster East suspects that your sleep apnea is quite severe, or cannot easily identify it as a cause for your snoring via an oral examination, then they may refer you for a sleep study.

Without getting too technical, this examines your brain waves with electrodes in a hospital setting, to determine how much your sleep is affected.

If we determine that you have a more mild case of sleep apnea, we may simply want to attempt to treat the sleep disorder with standard treatment options.

Treating associated issues

As unpleasant as it is, sleep apnea does not only cause problems getting the good quality sleep that you need. It can also lead to bruxism, which can grind down your teeth and inflame your gums, leading to recession and gum disease, as well as chronic sore throats! Yikes!

It is important that one of our team treats these ailments alongside other procedures to prevent sleep apnea, or they may end up getting worse.

Lifestyle advice

Our team at Family Dental Care have successfully resolved many cases of sleep apnea and can help you alleviate some of the problems you are experiencing with lifestyle guidance.

We are non judgemental and supportive of your lifestyle choices and tailor our advice to suit you as an individual.

Mouthguards and other devices

Depending on the severity of your condition, we may decide to fit you with a custom mouth device, which prevents your jaw sliding backwards as you sleep and keeps your airway clear.

We may also prescribe a continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP), to supply you with a continuous flow of oxygen as you sleep.

All dental treatments carry potential risks. This article is not a substitute for a check up with your dental practitioner.