Sleep Apnea Treatment in Mississauga
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that can sometimes even be a life-threatening sleep disorder. It causes people to experience shallow breaths and occasional pauses in breathing through their sleep cycles. GD Orthodontics in Mississauga provides sleep apnea treatment options to help you have a good night’s sleep. Our orthodontists are experienced and qualified to correctly diagnose sleep apnea and suggest safe and effective treatments and oral appliances to help manage your condition.
Sleep apnea happens because of a blockage in the airway passage, which disrupts a person’s sleep pattern. A temporary pause of breathing or apnea sometimes wakes the person, but they soon resume sleep in a few seconds. If left untreated, people with sleep apnea usually wake up tired and lethargic. Over time, it can severely affect the person’s mental and physical health. Book a consultation at our clinic in Mississauga, and feel free to call us to know how we can help your sleep apnea.
Signs, Symptoms and Risk Factors Associated with Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is characterized by the following signs and symptoms:
Occasional breathing pauses, up to 40 seconds long while sleeping
Snoring loudly
Sleepiness at work, driving, and throughout the day
Falling asleep rapidly when not active
Irritability and frequent mood swings
Insomnia
Waking up with headaches, dry mouth, or a sore throat in the morning
Night sweats
Reduce libido
Depression
Waking up abruptly, feeling shortness of breath or choking
Frequent urination during the night
Other risk factors can include:
Men over the age of 40
Smokers
People who are overweight, obese, or have a larger neck circumference
People with a family history of sleep apnea
Alcohol, sedative, and tranquillizer use
People with sleep apnea have a higher chance of developing diabetes, heart disease, strokes, obesity, depression, mania, and many other serious issues. It can also increase the risk of injury while at work or while driving. Get in touch with us if you or someone in your family have the above symptoms.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Most people have one of the following three types of sleep apnea:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
This is the most common sleep apnea type and accounts for over 80% of the cases. During the apneas, the airway’s soft tissue collapses, which prevents oxygen from passing through the airway and reaching the lungs. This can also happen when the throat muscles relax due to excessive fat accumulation around the neck.
Central Sleep Apnea
With less than 5% of the cases even being diagnosed, central sleep apnea is the rarest type. In this form of sleep apnea, the brain stops sending messages to the body to breathe during sleep. Although there is no physical disruption to the airway passages, the body responds as if an interruption has occurred. It is typically a result of a malfunctioned brain stem, a part of the brain that controls breathing.
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome
This is a combination of the two conditions listed above and accounts for 15% of all cases. This happens when an individual with a history of obstructive sleep apnea suddenly develops central sleep apnea.
Orthodontic care can help sleep breathing disorders. Dr. Girish Deshpande in Mississauga can evaluate your condition and suggest suitable oral appliances.
Methods of Treating Sleep Apnea
Our orthodontists will work closely with you to ensure our suggestions and solutions work, improving your symptoms and reducing or eliminating your apneas. We offer various treatment options depending on the type of sleep apnea you are suffering from. For moderate to severe cases of sleep apnea, the standard methods to treat sleep apnea are:
A mandibular advancement device, also called a dental sleep device, looks like a mouthguard and pushes the lower jaw forward so that the jaw muscles collapse as the apneas tighten so they can’t fall. If depending on your teeth, mouth, jaw joints, and the severity of your condition, our dental experts determine you are a good candidate for mandibular advancement devices, and they will create a model of your teeth. This will be used to craft a perfectly fitting oral device. We recommend patients wear their devices while sleeping to relieve their sleep apnea symptoms.
Tongue-retaining devices, though less common, have shown to be effective for most mouth shapes and sizes. This oral appliance holds the patient’s tongue in a forward position, and as the tongue is attached to the lower jaw, this device helps to keep the airway open.
Apart from oral devices, we recommend practicing self-care, regular exercising, and avoiding alcohol, smoking and tranquillizers as additional beneficial methods of dealing with obstructive and central sleep apnea. You can also try sleeping on your side or abdomen instead of the back to manage your symptoms.
While you may find these devices uncomfortable initially, most patients adjust to them in 2 to 3 days. Browse our blog for more information on sleep apnea and how an orthodontist can help diagnose and manage your condition. Call us or book your free consultation with us right away. The team at GD Orthodontics is always happy to work with new patients in Mississauga and across the GTA!