Boise Dentist Blog
The professional blog of Doctors Dan Bruce, Steve Bruce, Rosa Pothier and Rob Ririe
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a topic of much discussion in medicine and dentistry recently. Sleep apnea occurs when a person stops breathing while sleeping, causing oxygen to not get into the blood. The gold standard for sleep apnea treatment is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device. CPAP stops sleep apnea in almost all cases, but tolerance for the appliance is not as good. Therefore many people do not wear their CPAP machine and do not receive the benefit.
For this reason, oral mandibular advancement devices are recommended for mild to moderate apnea as a first line therapy. Oral devices, such as the TAP-3 device or the SomnoMed, advance the mandible forward and stop the soft tissue from collapsing over the airway. Tolerance to these devices is much better. Oral appliance therapy has high success when used in the right situation. These are custom-fitted appliances that can be moved forward and backward to find the ideal position.
Sleep apnea has been linked to excess daytime tiredness, headaches, esophageal reflux, hypertension, weight gain, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Talk to your physician to see if you may have sleep apnea and what needs to be done to manage this dangerous and deadly condition.