Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a Sleep disorder where a person has breathing pauses while sleeping or periods of shallow breathing during sleep , Usually Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times a night., This Pause or shallow breathing is followed by loud snoring . a person is Considered to have sleep apnea if there are more than five partial or complete obstruction per Hour of sleep , usually the person has no awareness of these brief episodes yet finds that his sleep wasn’t refreshing and lack energy during the Day . There may be a choking or snorting sounds as breathing resumes after the pause or the Obstruction , As the disorder disrupts normal sleep, those affected may experience sleepiness or feel tired during the day. In children it may cause hyperactivity or problems in school and short concentration span . it affects 1-6% in Adults and 2% in Children

During Normal breathing air is drawn through the nose and past the soft tissue at the back of the throat ,soft tissues are the soft palate,uvula and the Tongue , During waking up hours the airway is maintained and open due to the tone of the muscle around them yet during sleeping these muscles relax and in some people it may relax too much or collapse leading to obstruction of the air way , the obstruction may be partial or complete

When you experience breathing problems while sleeping as a result of this condition, extra strain is repeatedly placed on the brain, heart and other vital organs.
So Every time an apnea occurs, your body increases its effort to breathe and your organs struggle for oxygen to overcome the apnea or the pause in breathing that occurs.
Over long periods of time, the lack of oxygen and strain on the body can take its toll. Some of the other known risks linked to the disorder are hypertension, obesity, stroke, heart attack, type II diabetes, high blood pressure.

Your first step is to Discuss your Concerns with you Dentist or your General Practitioner as diagnosis of the cause of Sleep Apnea is Crucial so the most effective treatment can be Offered
You will be referred to Do a Sleep test at a Specialised sleep Medicine clinic and According to the report you will know the exact pattern of sleep and what happen during your sleep and if you have sleep apnea
Your Dentist will discuss the report with you and Explain it to you and list the suitable treatments so you may decide which Treatment you would like.

An Oral appliance is an Oral Therapy option that is worn during your sleep , it may be provided by your Dentist if you are a Suitable Candidate it is safe, painless, reversible and easy to wear Oral appliances have helped many people who snore or have obstructive sleep apnea.
Oral Appliances help open the airway space during sleeping to prevent the apnea from Happening , it helps opening the Airway space by bringing the jaw forward or lifting up the soft palate or holding the tongue forward , some appliances use a combination of the three methods your dentist will follow up with you and review the appliance to make sure that it is working satisfactorily and that you are happy with it out of every 100 patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea 80 will have good to excellent results using the Oral Appliance
As the appliance is small and light it could easily be carried during travel so nothing could stop you from a Good satisfactory night sleep , As it is not as bulky or noisy as the sleep apnea Machine (CPAP) , and if cleaned and stored correctly it should last you for years