- Sleep Apnea Prevalence - Hong Kong Statistics
- Different Types of Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Procedures
- The Relation Between Dental Health And Sleep Apnea
- How Can Your Dentist Help?
- Oral Devices to prevent Sleep Apnea
- 7 Important tips to prevent sleep apnea:
- Dangers of untreated sleep apnea include
- Bottom line
Sleep Apnea Prevalence - Hong Kong Statistics
Around one billion people all around the world have been afflicted by sleep apnea. It has been estimated that more than 5% of the total population of Hong Kong has been suffering from this sleep disorder. Authentic research studies show that adult and childhood obstructive sleep disorders are pretty common in this part of the world. Many people in Hong Kong are suffering from sleep apnea. If you make use of the best sleep apnea diagnosis Hong Kong methods, you can detect the underlying reason.
Different Types of Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Procedures
Two popular tests conducted to diagnose sleep apnea are Polysomnography (PSG) and Watch-Pat Tests. Although both these procedures are effective, you can expect a more comprehensive approach with the PSG.
- PSG
- WATCH-PAT
PSG
For deciding on your condition and treatment, the Polysomnography test collects all relevant data, including brainwaves, sleep position, breathing nuances, frequency of asphyxiation, blood oxygen levels, heartbeat, eye movement, and brainwave. This type of comprehensive approach delivers precise results.
Watch-Pat
With the help of a portable and wireless sleep tester, you can conduct the Watch-Pat test at home. Offering better flexibility, this test allows people to move freely.
The Relation Between Dental Health And Sleep Apnea
Your oral health could be a key indicator of sleep apnea. The first and most common symptom is bruxism a.k.a. teeth grinding. When you sleep, involuntary teeth grinding can tense your jaw muscles as a signal to your brain to wake up.
Your dentist will check for worn tooth surfaces which are signs of tooth grinding habit. Bruxism can also increase the risk of dental cavities, headaches, and jaw pain.
Note that it may also increase the risk of complications after surgery if you get dental implants in vista or anywhere.
How Can Your Dentist Help?
Some dentists specialize in a field called dental sleep medicine. They work closely with your physicians and can play a key role to help identify and treat this sleep disorder. There are two ways your dentists can help treat sleep apnea- oral mouth appliances and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine.
The CPAP machine is the standard treatment these days. It releases a steady flow of air pressure which prevents your muscles from collapsing and obstructing your airway. This can help you sleep peacefully through the night and improve your concentration and energy levels during the day. Another option is wearing a special mouth appliance that looks like a mouthguard to stop teeth grinding and reposition your tongue to open up your airway. This method is best suited for patients with mild or moderate symptoms. It may also help reduce snoring and improve your overall dental health.
These oral devices are only provided by specialized dentists. They will create a mold of your teeth to craft a customized appliance that you can wear to sleep. These appliances are very affordable and easy to care for as well.
So if you are looking for a sleep apnea dentist in San Antonio, Tx. do visit Stone Oaks Aesthetics. They offer great care to patients and will customize a treatment to improve your sleep pattern and oral health. So book an appointment at the clinic right away!
Types of Sleep Apnea – There are three main types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea – It is the most common form of sleep apnea which occurs when your throat muscles get relaxed.
- Central sleep apnea – It happens when your brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome – It is also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea. It happens when a person already suffers from the above two mentioned sleep apneas.
- People think that anyone who snores has sleep apnea – This is simply not true. Contrary to this belief, you might be suffering from sleep apnea even if you do not snore at all. If you feel lethargic or drowsy during the daytime, you should consult a doctor.
- Only old people suffer from sleep apnea – People believe that only old people are prone to this disease which is untrue. Anyone at any age can develop this disease. Children are also prone to it.
- CPAP machine is the only cure – People think that the best way to fight sleep apnea is CPAP machine. This is not true; there are several successful treatments available for sleep apnea sufferers. People can also benefit from getting their tissue surgically removed which causes the blockage. They can also benefit from a specially designed pillow or a mouthpiece. Those who are overweight can lose some weight to get relief.
- Sleep apnea is not dangerous – Another myth is that sleep apnea is not dangerous. On the contrary, it robs you of your night’s sleep. If you don’t sleep well then the effect will be seen the next morning when you feel sleepy and disturbed.
Oral Devices to prevent Sleep Apnea
It is quite common that many people suffer from airway diseases. Narrowing of the airways obstructs the passage of air to the lungs resulting in shortness of breath and respiratory diseases. There are various types of treatments that help in gaining improved breathing or improved airway. Instead of relying on surgeries and medications, there are non-surgical treatments like facelift dentistry that help in getting the best possible airway passage.
Continuous Positive Air Pressure therapy (CPAP)
This is a common therapy for sleep apnea symptoms. You have to visit your dentist for diagnosis and recommendations on the best treatment option. Sleep apnea has various solutions uniquely designed to meet the particular requirements of your idiosyncratic mouth measurements. Dental devices for sleep apnea keep the airway clear and open while sleeping.
Leaving the airway open while resting makes it unable to collapse and block airflow. The best dentist Kitchener will recommend the most appropriate treatment to manage your condition. CPAP therapy is acknowledged for the effective treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. You can only achieve when you strictly follow your doctor and dentist's orders regarding your treatment.
Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs)
Looking similar to mouth guards for athletes, these devices fit directly into your mouth. These directly snap your lower and upper dental arches. Mandibular advancement devices have metal hinges connecting to each other. The devices push the tongue and lower jaw forward to ensure that the throat muscles don’t collapse blocking the airways. This encourages appropriate breathing with subsequent prevention of sleep apnea. Fortunately, adjusting MADs is easy to allow appropriate positioning in the jaw to get optimal results.
Tongue Retaining Mouthpieces
These have a similar design to that of MADs. However, tongue-retaining mouthpieces fit on the tongue. The devices have a suction force to keep the tongue held forward to prevent collapsing into the airway. Using tongue-retaining mouthpieces is ideal when it is hard to reposition your jaws slightly forward. Visit your dentist for an appropriate diagnosis regarding the cause of the problem.
7 Important tips to prevent sleep apnea:
- Sleep on your side – It has been found that those who snore generally sleep on their back. When you sleep on your back, the base of your tongue falls into the back of your throat. It makes the airway narrow which results in snoring. Researcher advice people to sleep on their sides to avoid this.
- Elevate your head – You can prop your upper body by using pillows in order to allow oxygen to go through your airways.
- Exercise for throat and tongue – There is an exercise for the throat and tongue which strengthens them. By using this exercise your throat and tongue are less likely to fall backward. The tip is to put your upper and lower molars together. Next, open your mouth and focus on pressing your molars as wide apart as you can. Make sure that you do not overstretch. Repeat this exercise for about ten to twenty minutes. You will feel the change after doing it five to ten times.
- Steam inhalation – This one is the oldest method of getting rid of cold and blockages. Place your head over a steam bowl and cover it with a towel. You can add few herbs if you want to clear the nostrils.
- Mouth Guard – You can consult a doctor or a dentist who can prescribe you an anti-snoring mouth guard. It holds your teeth together and tightens your jaw muscles.
- Abstain from alcohol and tranquilizers – Alcohol and tranquilizers are known to relax your tongue and throat muscle which results in snoring. If you abstain from them you can be assured that there are fewer chances of snoring.
- Weight loss – If you lose weight you will get rid of the extra fat around your neck. The extra fat around the neck causes snoring. So it is better to lose weight.
Dangers of untreated sleep apnea include
When having sleep apnea, you are likely to have a good sleep duration but of poor quality. Interruptions fragment sleep making getting back to sleep to take about an hour to reach the restful sleep cycle. Interruption, before you reach deep sleep, causes a delay in the sleep cycle. Waking up multiple times at night might make you get zero hours of deep restful sleep. Poor quantity and quality of sleep lead to problems including:
- Headaches
- Mood issues
- Irritability
- Chronic fatigue
- Poor memory
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Excessive daytime drowsiness
Bottom line
Knowing a good dentist is very important for overall wellbeing and good health. A dentist handles various health conditions including sleep apnea. The dentist will diagnose and recommend appropriate remedies to alleviate sleep apnea. These might include Continuous Positive Air Pressure therapy and other oral devices to prevent obstruction in the airway during sleep.
Plaza dental group
Isreal olabanji a dental assistant and public health professionals and has years of experience in assisting the dentist with all sorts of dental issues.
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