Dental Treatment for Sleep Apnoea and/or Snoring
Treatment of Snoring and Sleep Disordered Breathing with Oral Appliances
Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea are both breathing disorders that occur during sleep due to narrowing or total closure of the airway. Snoring is a noise created by the partial closure of the airways and may often be no more problematic than the noise itself. However, consistent, loud, heavy snoring has been linked to medical disorders such as high blood pressure.
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is a serious condition, where the airway totally closes many times during the night and can significantly reduce oxygen levels in the body and disrupt sleep. In varying degrees, this can result in excessive daytime sleepiness, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and occasionally heart attack and stroke. People who are constantly tired are more likely to be involved in car accidents.
Oral appliances may be helpful in the treatment of snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). Oral appliances are designed to assist breathing by keeping the jaw and tongue forward, thereby opening the airway space in the throat. While documented evidence exists that oral appliances have substantially reduced snoring and sleep apnoea for many people, there are no guarantees this therapy will be successful for every individual.
Several factors contribute to the snoring/apnoea condition including nasal obstruction, narrowing airway space in the throat and excess weight. Oral appliances are not the treatment of choice for everybody. People with moderate to severe sleep apnoea are preferably treated by a sleep specialist with CPAP.
All potential candidates for sleep appliance therapy will require a sleep study to determine the most suitable way to help them.
Possible Complications
Some people may not be able to tolerate the appliances in their mouth. Also, many individuals will develop temporary adverse side affects such as:
- excessive salivation
- sore jaw joints
- sore teeth and a slight change in their bite.
However, these usually diminish within an hour after appliance removal in the morning. On rare occasions, a permanent bite change may occur. Oral appliances can wear and break. The possibility that these may be swallowed exists.
Length of Treatment
The oral appliance is strictly a mechanical device to maintain an open airway during sleep. It does not cure snoring or sleep apnoea. Therefore, the device must be worn nightly for a lifetime to be effective.
Over time, simple snoring may develop into sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea may also become worse, therefore, the appliance may not maintain its effectiveness over time. The oral appliance needs to be checked at least twice a year to ensure proper fit and the mouth also needs to be examined to assure a healthy condition. If any unusual symptoms occur, you are advised to schedule an office visit to check the situation.
Individuals who have been diagnosed as having sleep apnoea may notice that after sleeping with an oral appliance they feel more refreshed and alert during the day. This is only subjective evidence of improvement and may be misleading. The only way to accurately measure whether the appliance is keeping the oxygen level sufficiently high to prevent abnormal heart rhythms is to be retested with a pulse oximeter.
If the test shows oxygen levels below normal, then the patient will be referred to a sleep specialist for a follow-up sleep test while wearing the appliance.
Unusual Occurances
As with any form of medical or dental treatment, unusual occurrences can and do happen. Broken or loosened teeth, dislodged dental restorations, mouth sores, periodontal problems, root restorations, non-vital teeth, muscle spasms, and ear problems are all possible occurrences.
Please contact us today for an assessment. It may just change your life.
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