Sleep Apnea Appliances
At Deer Valley Dental Care in South East (SE) Calgary, we can help you sleep and breathe better during sleep with dental appliances for snoring and sleep apnea.
Are you suffering from Sleep Apnea?
Contact us today to learn how a sleep apnea appliance can help.
Custom Sleep Apnea Appliances
We can customize a snoring appliance for you that you can wear to sleep. It works by realigning your lower jaw and preventing your soft palate from closing the throat. As a result, air gets to flow in and out more freely.
What Causes Snoring?
As you fall to a deep sleep, muscles in your mouth, tongue, and throat relax. Snoring occurs when tissues in your throat fall into a deeply relaxed state, blocking and preventing air from flowing freely. This causes vibration, which further increases as the airway gets narrower.
Snoring can be caused by various factors, such as:
- Excess weight: Extra tissues at the throat and elongated uvula can narrow your airway. The narrower the airway, the harder it is for the air to pass through, and the louder the snoring can get as well. Note, though, that snoring is not only a concern for the overweight. Extra fat around your neck or throat can also make you more susceptible to snoring.
- Alcohol intake: Alcohol causes throat muscles to relax. And over-relaxation can contribute snoring.
- Nasal congestion: Nasal problems can as well trigger snoring due to block passageways. Inhaling and breathing become more difficult.
- Sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition wherein throat tissues block the airway. This causes loud snoring and breathing pauses. The breathing pauses can happen several times overnight, causing you to wake from sleep repeatedly, and preventing you from enjoying a deep sleep.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
It’s difficult to diagnose sleep apnea as it occurs during sleep. But if you feel unrested in the morning despite getting long hours of sleep or experience excessive sleepiness throughout the day, these may be signs you’re suffering from this sleep disorder.
Seek assistance from your family or partner in observing whether you’re displaying the symptoms.
People with sleep apnea pause breathing for a few seconds to minutes during their sleep. Once they start breathing normally again, they fall back to deep sleep. This transition is often signaled by a choking like sound or snort. The process of going from shallow to deep sleep can occur several times a night.
Obstructive sleep apnea may keep you from enjoying quality sleep, or cause irritability and difficulty focusing.