The National Council on Aging estimates that nearly 39 million adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea, with nearly one billion adults being impacted by OSA across the globe. If you have already received your diagnosis from a sleep specialist and aren’t satisfied with how CPAP therapy works for you, stop in for consultation with our team at Sharp Smiles. We offer customized oral appliances to help keep your airway open as you rest, minimizing snoring and allowing your brain to get the oxygen it needs to function. Reach out to us today to learn more about our options for sleep apnea treatment in Fort Smith.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to become repetitively restricted during sleep. Snoring is the most common symptom as suffers struggle to breathe during the night. The disorder is often caused by problems with your airway becoming obstructed during sleep, causing you to stop breathing and being unable to pull air into your lungs. If you experience any of the following symptoms, sleep apnea could be the culprit.
- High blood pressure
- Irritability or moodiness
- Constantly feeling tired
- Morning headaches
- Sore throat/dry mouth in the morning
- Difficulty focusing
- Impaired memory
The Dangers of Sleep Apnea
Snoring may seem like a harmless annoyance, but it can signal much larger issues. Left untreated, sleep apnea can result in many serious medical issues, like high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and diabetes. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, it’s crucial that you seek a diagnosis so you can get the treatment that you need to prevent life-threatening health conditions from developing or worsening.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines are a popular, effective option for addressing sleep apnea. This involves wearing a mask over your nose and/or mouth as you sleep. Air is constantly projected through the mask into the airway, keeping it open. While this method is lifechanging for those with severe sleep apnea, others find the mask to be bulky and the machine loud, making the experience uncomfortable and not ideal for sleep. Because of this, many CPAP users aren’t as compliant with their treatment as they should be.
Alternatively, we use a more conservative sleep apnea treatment method: oral appliance therapy. This is an appliance that is customized to fit in your mouth perfectly. It works by shifting the lower jaw in its optimal position, reducing the likelihood of obstruction during sleep.
