Family, Cosmetic & Restorative
Dentistry in Herndon, VA

Dental Sleep Apnea and Snore Treatment

Do you sometimes wake up gasping for breath?
This may be a sign of sleep apnea, in which obstructed airways cause breathing difficulty as you sleep. Have you been told that you snore loudly?  Both sleep apnea and snoring can result in extreme fatigue during the day, headaches, and a sore throat in the morning, among other symptoms. If you have sleep apnea and are tired of being hooked to a CPAP machine every night, or your loud snoring disrupts a loved one, there are dental treatments available in our Herndon dental office.

NOVA Dental Practice in Herndon offers dental treatments to assist patients suffering from sleep apnea. Dentists today play an important role in the approach to the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, and our sleep apnea dentists work one on one with patients to recognize, manage, and treat snoring and sleep apnea though the use of contemporary dentistry methods, as well as provides information about oral appliance therapy.

What is the Cause of Snoring?
Snoring occurs when the soft tissue structures of the upper airway collapse onto themselves and vibrate against each other as we attempt to move air through them. This produces the sound we know as snoring. Large tonsils, a long soft palate, a large tongue, the uvula, and excess fat deposits in the throat all contribute to airway narrowing and snoring. Usually, the more narrow the airway space, the louder or more habitual the snoring.

Diagnosis:
The presence or absence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), must be determined before initiating treatment with oral appliances to identify those patients at risk due to complications of sleep apnea and to provide a baseline to establish the effectiveness of subsequent treatment.

Dental Treatment:
In recent years, dental appliances have been used to treat snoring or mild to moderate sleep apnea. Most of these appliances reposition the mandible forward and slightly open the vertical dimension to keep the airway space open during sleep. While several types of appliances appear to be effective, it is important to select one that is comfortable, promoting patient compliance and precisely fabricated so that pre-existing TMJ problems are not aggravated.

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If you have any questions about sleep apnea dentistry, please refer to our Learning Center section of our web site, or for scheduling inquiries or if we can be of service, please feel free to contact our Herndon dental office, and a member of our team will be glad to help.