DENTAL SLEEP APNEA ORAL APPLIANCE THERAPY
Dentistry at The Biltmore offers dental sleep medicine services.
With oral appliance therapy, we can treat sleep apnea, a sleep disorder where breathing stops again and again during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form. This occurs when throat muscles relax causing an obstruction to breathing.
You may have not thought that a dentist could treat sleep apnea. Because the cause of sleep apnea is related to the mouth, jaw, and throat, where dentistry is focused, dentists pioneered oral appliance therapy.
Dentistry at the Biltmore offers two sleep apnea solutions.
Panthera D-SAD™, an advanced custom-fit digital device, that prevents the airway from collapsing by supporting the jaw in a forward position. And secondly ARES™, a sleep-wearable, wireless device that records and stores nocturnal data.
Why oral appliance therapy?
How well you sleep has a dramatic impact on your health and the overall quality of your life. Snoring and OSA disturb your sleep and increase the risk of health problems. Snoring is a warning sign that you may have sleep apnea. If you snore heavily it should not be ignored.
Sleep-disordered breathing causes hypoxia, a low oxygen level in the body and stresses the body, which reacts with a fight-or-flight response. The heart beats faster and arteries narrow, increasing the risk of cardiovascular problems. The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates 38,000 people in the United States die each year from heart disease, with sleep apnea as a complicating factor.
A common therapy for OSA is CPAP “continuous positive airway pressure therapy.” CPAP uses a machine that applies mild air pressure through a mask to keep the airways open. If you do have sleep apnea and are using CPAP therapy, you may find it hard to deal with a mask over your face all night. The oral appliance therapy Dentistry at The Biltmore offers is an alternate treatment for sleep apnea that you may find to be much better.
Panthera D-SAD™ Digital Sleep Apnea Device
Dentistry at The Biltmore provides treatment for sleep apnea and snoring with a special device custom made to fit in your mouth during sleep.
Sleep apnea is caused by the muscles of the throat relaxing during sleep and collapsing the upper airway. The Panthera sleep apnea device moves your lower jaw forward to a comfortable position allowing you to maintain an adequate flow of air during sleep.
The D-SAD is custom made, designed, and formed for your mouth and teeth using CAD computer-aided design. Made strong lightweight materials and smooth to the touch it’s comfortable during your sound sleep.
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea With ARES™
If you have never had a diagnosis of sleep apnea, there are clues in your mouth that we can see. One sign that you may have sleep apnea are worn tooth surfaces, which can indicate you have bruxism or tooth grinding.
Those with sleep apnea often grind their teeth in response to their breath being cut off. Their jaw subconsciously tenses and sends a signal to the brain that they should wake up and take a breath.
There are other signs we can look for, but accurately assessing sleep disorders requires more than just physical signs in your mouth. What is needed to be certain is a complete picture of your sleep history.
To understand what occurs while you are sleeping Dentistry at The Biltmore can offer the ARES™ Apnea Risk Evaluation System. ARES™ is worn on the forehead and stores up to three nights of physiological data to determine the presence and severity of ARES™ measures:
- Blood oxygen saturation
- Pulse rate
- Airflow
- Snoring levels
- Head movement and head position
Made to be worn at home, its small size makes it comfortable and able to be worn in any sleep position. It is also much easier and more convenient than spending a night in a sleep clinic. Moreover, using it where you normally sleep at home, in your own bed, it delivers a better record of your breathing during sleep. Data you cannot gather when awake.
Sleep better with Oral Appliance Therapy
Treating sleep apnea promotes a healthier heart, body, and mind. Dentistry at Biltmore can help you improve your sleep and your health. Contact us today and schedule an appointment. We can conduct a complete clinical evaluation that includes an examination of your teeth, jaw, tongue, and airway. Don’t wait, a good night sleep can be yours!