What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is recognized as persistent stops in your breathing while you sleep. This is the result of your muscles relaxing and gravity pulling close your airways. The short term suffocation that results creates excessive strain on the body, which can cause cardiovascular complications like memory loss, mood change, weight gain, fatigue, and hypertension. There are lots of sleep or snoring apnea solutions to go with, ranging from airway surgeries such as a adenoidectomy, maxillofacial surgery, tonsillectomy to the use of a CPAP machine. Sometimes people are not happy with those solutions. In these situations, they may turn to dental options to help resolve the issue.
At Leon Springs Dental Center in San Antonio, TX, we concentrate on creating customized oral appliances to help our sleep apnea and snoring patients. Our experienced team is pleased to offer you this simple, comfortable, and reliable service to help you achieve better health and wellness.
Request an AppointmentHow Does Sleep Dentistry Work?
Sleep apnea therapy at Leon Springs Dental Center uses what’s known as oral appliance therapy (OAT), which may be a very effective treatment for sleep apnea. It is a customized device that fits in your mouth at night. It can be compared to a mouth guard for athletic events or even a retainer. The principal difference is that instead of guarding your teeth from harm, it softly pulls the jaw into a forward position to keep your airway open.
During your consultation, we perform an evaluation of your teeth, jaw, tongue, and airway. You will also have oral x-rays taken so that our team can make detailed impressions of your teeth for your custom oral appliance.
Sleep Apnea Treatments
If your breathing was interrupted numerous times every day due to your own airway being blocked, you’d look for treatment straight away. However, if the same thing happens during your sleep, it can be all too easy to put off because you won’t recall it when you awaken. If you think you might be suffering from sleep apnea, we encourage you to schedule an appointment at Leon Springs Dental Center at your earliest convenience.