Enjoy Silent Nights by Treating Sleep Apnea

You’ve tried. You really have, but you just can’t take it anymore.

You’ve put up with the incessant snoring, and you want nothing more than to get a complete night of deep, healthy, and uninterrupted sleep.

Yet, that doesn’t seem possible with the sounds coming from your spouse’s side of the bed. That snoring may just be snoring … or it could be a symptom of a serious sleep disorder called sleep apnea . At our Oakmont, PA dental practice, we have the training to help treat this condition, so you and your spouse can get the healthy sleep that you deserve.

If you are ready to enjoy silent nights, call Oakmont Advanced Dentistry at 412-206-6825 to set up a consultation with one of our doctors soon.

What’s That Sound?

Snoring happens when someone’s airway is restricted in some way. This causes soft tissues to vibrate as they breathe in and out, and that vibration is the all-too-familiar sound that keeps you awake at night.

For people with obstructive sleep apnea, their airways close when they fall asleep. This can happen for a few reasons, but the results are the same for anyone sleeping near them. The noise makes it difficult to fall and stay asleep.

That can leave you feeling sleep deprived in the morning, which can leave you irritable and make it difficult on the things you need to do that day.

The Bigger Picture

For the person with sleep apnea, their condition is more than just an annoyance. It can be harmful to their long-term health in multiple ways.

If you’ve been awake because of their snoring, you’ve probably noticed something else, too. Your spouse stops breathing when they fall asleep, too. Those stoppages are the defining symptom of sleep apnea.

We don’t have to tell you how scary it can be to listen to the love of your life stop breathing over and over again.

When they stop breathing, their body’s response is to wake them up briefly. This is so they do take a few breaths, but (as you’ve heard), that starts the cycle of snoring once again. All those interruptions are preventing your spouse from getting deep sleep, too.

As a result, they are suffering from sleep deprivation, which also makes them irritable, easily distracted, and susceptible to daytime sleepiness. And that can more than double their risk of being a car accident.

Breathing stoppages are hard on the body as well. They trigger the release of stress hormones, and when someone is stopping breathing for hours on end every night, those hormones can raise their blood pressure. That, in turn, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

What A Dentist Can Do

Many times people with sleep apnea are prescribed a CPAP machine, but for multiple reasons, many people will quit using their CPAP within a year. In those situations, they aren’t doing anything to treat their problem.

At Oakmont Advanced Dentistry, we have a treatment option that many people find more convenient than a CPAP. We can make a custom-fitted oral appliance. This is somewhat like a mouthguard that your spouse would wear while they sleep.

The appliance changes the position of their lower jaw. Doing this helps to keep their airway open, so they continue breathing, stay asleep longer, and snore less often and less loudly.

Ready to Sleep Better

By helping your significant other treat their sleep apnea, both of you can sleep easier. To learn more, set up a consultation with us. You can contact us online or call 412-206-6825 to request an appointment.