Sleep Apnea and Your Teeth

To put things in perspective, there are 18 million people who deal with sleep apnea. For some, it is an irritating condition, disrupting sleep. For others, it is potentially dangerous, even fatal. What may surprise you is that when it comes to detecting the condition and treating it, it may be your dentist in Newtown who makes the difference. Here’s how this happens.

Sleep apnea is the interruption or regular breathing while you sleep, and can happen either due to blocking of the airflow or a potential brain issue that causes problems with the breathing muscles during sleep. Anyone can get sleep apnea, bur certain populations are more at risk, including the elderly, people who are overweight, and those with a family history of it. Men are more likely to get sleep apnea than women as well.

How does your dentist in Trenton play their role? Generally, the first symptoms of sleep apnea are general tiredness, but good luck picking sleep apnea out of that when there are so many other potential health issues. Most people are likely to see sleep apnea’s effects through oral health issues. For example, jaw pain is common with sleep apnea sufferers. This is because the jaw clamps down before an apnea episode, putting stress on the area as well as the back and shoulders. Dry mouth, teeth grinding, and even tooth loss can come from prolonged sleep apnea.

Lifestyle changes and even shifting sleep position can be enough to handle minor sleep apnea. In more extreme cases, your dentist can help as well, by providing a type of oral appliance while you sleep. A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system or even surgery are also viable alternatives for more extreme cases.

Pearly Whites Dental Care is a dental practice that is passionate, gentle and caring. We offer personalized dental care for the whole family! We are serving the Yardley, Morrisville, Langhorne, Newtown, Trenton, and the surrounding communities. If you need to get in contact with our dental practice give us a call (215) 295-4851 or to learn more about our dentist visit our About Us page.