Sleep Appliances
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a process where you stop breathing during sleep and is often associated with snoring. There are 3 types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and mixed. Obstructive is the most common and occurs when the airway gets blocked, usually by the soft tissue of the throat and tongue. Central sleep apnea happens when the brain fails to signal the muscles of the diaphragm to breath. Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of the two.
How do I know if I have sleep apnea?
You should talk to your physician about sleep apnea and discuss your symptoms. Your physician may then recommend a sleep study, in which a team will monitor your sleep cycles and look for signs of apnea such as the amount of oxygen in your blood and periods where you stop breathing. You can then decide whether an oral appliance or CPAP is right for you.
In some cases we are able to send patients home with our "at home sleep study" machine. Contact our office today for more information.
Oral Sleep Appliances
Oral sleep appliances are used to position the mandible forward and this reduce or eliminate soft tissue blockage of the airway during sleep. There are various types of oral appliances that can be fabricated by our dentists. The most often appliances used in our office are:
Dorsal Fin
EMA
TAP
If you think you have sleep apnea or if you are snoring, please talk to your physician to see if an oral appliance is for you. If you decide to have an oral appliance made, contact us for an appointment. Following a consultation with our dentists, impressions will be made to custom fit your appliance for your teeth and specific jaw movements.