Sleep apnea is a common yet often undiagnosed condition that affects approximately 15 million men and women is the United States alone. It’s far more widespread in men than female patients. The symptoms include sleep disorder, snoring, feeling tired upon waking, interruption of breathing while sleeping, daytime drowsiness and exhaustion, aching head upon waking, a decline in sex drive, and changes in attentiveness and disposition. These symptoms greatly affect the daily lives of sufferers. If you are interested in finding a solution to your sleep apnea problems in Louisville KY, contact Brooks Dentistry today.
People with such type of disorder typically have problems staying awake, especially at work or when arriving home from their workplace. Their work production decreases, their relationship suffers and they feel unhealthy in general. It’s a debilitating health disorder that requires treatment. If this type of disorder is left untreated, it can lead to many other serious conditions such as cardiovascular symptoms, which are common among adult men. Due to these serious problems, if this disorder is diagnosed, a specialist for sleep disorder should be consulted immediately. Visit your family Louisville dentist or doctor to see what quality sleep treatments make sense for you.
The best treatment for patients with this type of disorder is the most conservative therapy that will improve their unique medical condition. What’s the most conservative therapy that will help a patient? This is a personal and multifaceted question that should be discussed by you, your family doctor and your sleep doctor. The treatment should be selected based on the type of apnea, severity of the condition, and your other health concerns. One conservative treatment that has been proven effective is the application of various dental devices. These dental devices are appropriate for those people who experience moderate disruptive sleep apnea.
A number of devices are available depending on the prescription of a dentist or the need of the patient. These devices are intended to reposition the tongue and mandible in a forward or anterior position to increase pharyngeal dimension and to prevent their collapse into the patient’s airways during sleep. The goals of this dental treatment include resolution or improvement of snoring and disruptive sleep apnea. Two kinds of oral devices are available for the therapy. These include a tongue-retraining device and mandibular advancement device.
Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) is the most commonly used instrument in treating such disorder. Its features are similar to mouth guards, which force your lower jaw downward and forward to keep an open and clear airway. The Tongue-Retraining Device (TRD) keeps the airway open by holding your tongue in place.
MAD and TRD can cause marked improvement of airflow, thereby decreasing sleep apnea and snoring. Regardless of which treatment you and your sleep specialist or dentist decide upon for your conditions, regular use of the dental device is needed for improvement to be seen. Getting used to a dental device while sleeping can be very difficult and patients often stop using them. If sleep apnea goes untreated, its risks and side effects should be enough to force yourself to continue treatment to achieve relief from the devastating symptoms of such disorder. End the worrying and anxiety that sleep apnea can cause and call Louisville dentist Dr. Brooks’ office to find out how we can help.
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