Kingston TN
Your mood, alertness and overall physical health and well-being depend on good sleep. But many people, often unknowingly, suffer from a sleep breathing disorder that interrupts their sleep multiple times a night — hundreds of times in the most severe case — to force them to breathe. These sleep disruptions, which can last anywhere from a few seconds to minutes, lead to excessive daytime fatigue, a lack of focus and problems with oral and overall health. Our airway dentist in Kingston is exploring today the dangers of untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the importance of reaching out to our practice for help.
What is OSA?
OSA is one of three types of sleep apnea — and the most common. It occurs when the muscles in the throat relax during sleep, causing a partial or complete blockage in the airway.
How do I know if I have sleep apnea?
Many people don’t realize they are showing symptoms of OSA since the majority of them occur during sleep. Symptoms can vary in intensity and are often either overlooked or attributed to a cause other than OSA.
Sleeping partners are usually the first people to alert OSA sufferers to the more obvious symptoms, which include:
- Persistent, loud snoring
- Pauses in breathing during sleep that are often followed by choking or gasping noises
- Waking in the morning with a dry mouth or sore throat
- Chronic morning headaches
- Insomnia
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Difficulty focusing or concentrating
- Mood swings and irritability
What are the dangers of untreated sleep apnea?
OSA can wreak havoc on a person’s oral, mental and physical health. Our Harriman sleep apnea dentist has complied the following list of dangers associated with untreated sleep apnea:
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Cardiovascular issues
Untreated sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias). When people stop breathing at night because of OSA, their blood oxygen levels drop. This strains the cardiovascular system, which can lead to chronic hypertension and other heart-related issues.
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Excessive daytime fatigue
Frequent sleep disruptions result in poor sleep quality, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness. This can easily affect a person’s ability to concentrate, make decisions and remember things. Chronic fatigue increases a person’s risk for causing accidents, both at work and while behind the wheel of a vehicle.
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Metabolic disorders
Sleep apnea has been linked to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes and obesity. The disrupted sleep patterns and stress on the body can affect the regulation of blood sugar levels and metabolism, contributing to weight gain and difficulty managing diabetes.
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Mental health issues
A lack of quality sleep can affect a person’s mood and overall well-being, sometimes leading to anxiety and depression.
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Oral health problems
Sleep apnea can lead to bruxism, which is the unconscious clenching or grinding of teeth, especially during sleep. Bruxism causes tooth wear, fractures in the teeth and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. People who suffer from OSA also often have dry mouth from mouth-breathing at night. This increases a person’s risk of developing cavities, gum disease and bad breath.
How is OSA treated?
In addition to lifestyle changes, if necessary, our Rockwood airway dentist may recommend oral appliance therapy to treat mild to moderate cases of OSA. Oral appliances are comfortable, custom-made devices that look like mouthguards. We prefer this method of treatment, if possible, over a more cumbersome and less convenient CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. Most of our patients have stopped snoring and are enjoying quality sleep thanks to oral appliance therapy.
Sleep apnea treatment in Kingston, Harriman and Rockwood, TN
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious sleep breathing disorder that carries too many health consequences to be ignored and left untreated. If you’ve been told you snore or stop breathing during sleep, it’s important that you reach out to LakeView Dental Arts at (865) 248-2199 or contact us online to schedule an appointment today. Our dental team is trained and experienced in treating OSA, and we would love to help you — and others in your household — receive a better quality and more peaceful night’s sleep.
