Treat Your Sleep Apnea
We provide solutions that can help you start feeling great and living with more energy.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders in the United States. It can affect children and adults and people of both sexes, although it is more common in men.
People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night.
Typical symptoms include the following:
- Heavy snoring
- Headaches
- Difficulty focusing
- Excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue
- Memory loss
- Insomnia
- Irritability
If not treated, sleep apnea can cause a number of health problems, including hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the muscle tissue of the heart), heart failure, diabetes and heart attacks . Untreated sleep apnea can also be responsible for job impairment, work-related accidents and motor vehicle crashes, as well as underachievement in school in children and adolescents.
What Causes Sleep Apnea?
Various factors can contribute to the blocking or collapse of the airway. They include the following:
- Lax muscles and other tissues in the mouth and throat
- Nasal congestion
- Thickened tissues and additional fat stores around the airway
- An underlying neurological problem
These can result from:
- Genetic factors
- Colds and allergies
- Obesity
- Thyroid problems
- Heart or kidney failure
- Large or swollen tonsils
Infants born preterm may have sleep apnea, but this usually resolves with age.
CPAP or Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT)?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and other sleep disorders are diagnosed and treated by a physician who has been trained as a sleep specialist.
A CPAP device is considered the “gold standard” in treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Dr. Carpenter supports the use of CPAP equipment.
However, patients are often unable or unwilling to tolerate CPAP equipment. Some patients complain of mask discomfort, nasal congestion, and nose and throat dryness when using CPAP. Others find the device to be too constrictive and cumbersome, particularly when traveling. These complaints sometimes lead to inconsistent use, or discontinuation of treatment.
For those patients your sleep physician may recommend an oral sleep device. Oral sleep devices must be fabricated and inserted by a dentist. The sleep physician may then request that I, as a dentist, fabricate, insert, and monitor an oral sleep device for their patient.
Your sleep physician will continue to monitor your sleep even after an oral device has been provided. I will also continue to monitor the oral sleep device and adjust it as needed.
If you are having problems using your CPAP, consider discussing the possibility of an oral sleep appliance with your sleep physician.
If you are having issues using a CPAP, oral appliance therapy may be for you!
These dentist-designed applicances are effective, easy to use, easy to transport, quiet, comfortable, noninvasive, and less obtrusive!
OAT provides nearly identical short and long-term health benefits as CPAP. These benefits include:
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality
- Reduction in blood pressure
- Improved sleep quality
- Reduced daytime sleepiness
- Reduced depression
- Improved driving performance
- Better quality of life
- Small, comfortable sleep apnea solutions
Dr. Carpenter can help you determine if this type of sleep apnea treatment is right for you, and help you select the correct device for your needs.
The Benefits of Sleep Apnea Treatment
Dr. Carpenter wants you to feel great, even if you’ve gotten used to the daily headaches or dozing off at work. If your sleep physician prescribes an oral sleep device, we offer convenient oral device options that are simple to use and to wear. Finding the treatment that works best for you can improve your sleep quality, reduce sleep apnea symptoms and even improve your mood, as you’ll wake more refreshed the next day.
We’re excited to meet you!
Call or email us to book an appointment. We’re excited to help you begin your journey towards a more well-rested life!
Let us help you with your Sleep Apnea. Come see our team in San Diego to start feeling better as quickly as possible. We can answer any questions you may have regarding your treatment options.
