Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Santa Clara Dental treats sleep apnea patients in San Jose. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is quite common and can cause people to stop breathing for a minute or longer while sleeping. When this happens, the brain wakes the person up briefly to re-start breathing, causing sleep disruptions and daytime fatigue.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Snoring or gasping for air while sleeping may indicate Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Not all snorers have OSA. But OSA patients all snore. OSA is a condition when people cease breathing for short periods of time throughout the night. Sleep apnea affects 13-17% of adults. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and even death can result from undiagnosed sleep apnea. Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea can shave off 10–15 years from one's life.

Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

• If your bedmate reports that you snore or gasp for air while sleeping.
• If you feel exhausted and unrested following sleep and require frequent naps.
• If you have difficult-to-treat hypertension.
• If you are obese and/or have a collar size larger than 16 inches for women or 17 inches for men.
• If you have a dry or painful throat when you awaken.
• If you wake up angry or have morning headaches.
• If you get twitching in your legs at night.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis

Only a sleep medicine board-certified MD can diagnose OSA. Diagnoses can be made in a sleep lab or at home using cables and monitors. Our office has home sleep testing monitors that you can wear at night. Our clinic will upload the data from the testing device to a board-certified sleep physician who will diagnose you with sleep apnea. The doctor will also assess the severity of the sleep apnea and provide appropriate treatment choices. Treatment options include dental, medical, or surgical procedures.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Alternatives

Until recently, the conventional therapy was to utilize a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to pump air into the obstructed channel. Its look has ranged from a massive jet pilot's mask to something approaching Darth Vader's mask. It's inconvenient, noisy, and uncomfortable, yet it keeps you alive. The problem is that most people utilize the mask inconsistently, which provides little value while still putting the patient at risk. Recent advancements in specialized custom dental-produced mouth guards offer a more comfortable option. This little mouthpiece that fits inside the sleeper's mouth pulls the jaw forward, causing suction to open the airway in the throat. Although research has not yet established that treatment will reverse Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it will reduce or eliminate many of the adverse effects.