Sleep Solutions
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Your sleep has a direct impact on your health, well-being, and overall quality of life. When the quality of your sleep is poor because of things like snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, you can become irritable, distracted, and face an increased risk of severe health problems.
You might be wondering – why is a dentist interested in my quality of sleep?
We screen for a variety of health problems during bi-annual appointments, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be one of them. Since we generally see you twice a year, we may be the first to notice one of the many warning signs of OSA.
Our Role in Treating OSA
Dental Arts of Westwood is pleased to offer a full suite of laser treatments using the Fotona TimeWalker®. The TimeWalker® is a next-generation laser device that can be used in sleep apnea treatment, to reshape the rear of the mouth.
A patient-friendly laser treatment for increasing the quality of a patient’s sleep. NightLase® can reduce the effects of and decrease snoring loudness by means of a gentle laser treatment. Research has shown that NightLase® can reduce and attenuate snoring and provides an effective, non-invasive way to lessen the effects of snoring.
To screen for OSA, we will ask about your:
- Energy and drowsiness levels
- Health history
- Medications
- Quality of sleep
We may then record your height, weight, blood pressure, and size of your neck. It is common to also examine your teeth, jaw, gums, tongue, and back of throat and take photographs or x-rays of your teeth and jaw.
You schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor or a doctor who specializes in treating sleep problems if they believe you could be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea but haven’t been diagnosed yet.
Your doctor will perform a sleep evaluation. This may involve either an overnight sleep test at a sleep center or a home sleep apnea test (HSAT). A sleep specialist will interpret the data from your sleep test. The information from the evaluation and the sleep test results will be used to determine if you have OSA. If you have OSA or snoring, your doctor will prescribe a treatment for you.
A common treatment for OSA is to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. If you are interested in an oral appliance instead of a CPAP device, be sure to let your doctor know. After the doctor prescribes your oral appliance, you can then contact us to start treatment.
We’ll explain the different types of oral appliances and discuss which one is the best for you. To make your personalized appliance, we take digital images of your mouth and teeth.
Once your oral appliance has been created, you will have another appointment to make sure the appliance fits you well. We’ll show you how to put the appliance in your mouth and take it out and will adjust it as needed to make sure you have maximum comfort. During this appointment, you will also learn how to care for your appliance and adjust it so that it is in the best position to treat your OSA or snoring.
Once we’re sure that your oral appliance is doing its job correctly, you will be asked to schedule an appointment with your doctor to make sure that the treatment is effectively reducing your OSA or snoring.
We’ll schedule regular follow up appointments with you for as long as you use your oral appliance. During these quick follow-up appointments, your dentist will make sure the oral appliance is working as effectively and comfortably as possible. If you ever experience any pain or discomfort with your appliance, contact us right away so we can help make things better.
If you suffer from sleep apnea or other sleep disturbances, we can work with you to find the right solution for your symptoms.