Sleep Apnea Dental Appliance in Savannah, GA
If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, chances are you had to go to a sleep clinic; then you were given a machine that attaches to your face that you must sleep with every night. Many Americans are diagnosed with sleep apnea a year and are given the same treatment, regardless of whether it works for them or how uncomfortable they become. You may not know that some patients with sleep apnea can get treated with options other than a sleep machine. If you live in Savannah, GA, and come to Forsyth Park Dental, we can fit you with a custom sleep apnea dental appliance.
How can our Dentist help you with Sleep Apnea?
There are different types of sleep apnea. An obstruction of the airway causes one. A brain disorder causes another. A combination of the two problems causes the third. The more common form of sleep apnea is known as obstructive sleep apnea and occurs when a person has trouble breathing at night due to the closing of their airway. This type is treatable by your local dentist at Forsyth Park Dental in Savannah, GA.
That’s because rather than force air down your throat as most sleep machines do, the dentist can create a special oral appliance that alters the resting position of the mouth and throat, thus opening the airway and allowing for better oxygenation while sleeping. The other options are much more invasive, including surgery to reduce the size of the flap that covers the airway and a large machine that forces air into the throat via a tube attached to the face. The surgery option has its risks, and most patients find the sleep device uncomfortable to wear and sleep.
For these reasons, a custom-made dental appliance is a much-preferred option. A dental appliance can relieve obstructive sleep apnea symptoms while keeping the patient comfortable sleeping at night.