Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious condition in which your breathing starts and stops abruptly while sleeping. If you snore considerably while sleeping or feel tired even after eight hours of sleep, you may have sleep apnea. There are various types of sleep apnea with various sleep apnea treatment options.

According to an Institute of Medicine report, sleep loss and sleep disorders are associated with various health hazards, such as hypertension, heart attack, strokes, and a lot more. In fact, the Journal of Sleep Medicine also found that sleep apnea leads to approximately 38,000 cardiovascular deaths per year.

At Nottingham Dental, our sleep apnea doctor carefully diagnoses the root cause of your sleep apnea to curate the ideal sleep apnea treatment plan. Dr. Yan uses a proprietary, non-invasive, and nonsurgical sleep apnea treatment option called Vivos. Please continue reading to learn more about how we diagnose and treat sleep apnea.

Some of the common symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, gasping for air while sleeping, sudden lapses of breathing while sleeping, morning headaches, insomnia, irritability, hypersomnia, and dry mouth, to name a few.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea, caused by the relaxation of throat muscles. The muscles in the back of your throat support the uvula, i.e., the triangular tissue hanging from the soft palate and tonsils. When your muscles relax, your upper airway closes, obstructing your breathing and preventing sufficient airflow into your blood. As your brain detects the lack of oxygen, it rouses you awake to reopen the airway, resulting in a sudden gasp for air. People suffering from obstructive sleep apnea often repeat this pattern five to 30 times per hour, significantly affecting their ability to sleep.

Complex sleep apnea is far less common than both central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea and is usually a result of both types of sleep apneas. It is also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea.

Central sleep apnea isn’t as common as obstructive sleep apnea, though it’s just as serious. When you suffer from central sleep apnea, your brain fails to communicate with your breathing muscles, which means you forget to breathe for short periods. As such, you may have trouble falling asleep, or you may wake up repeatedly with shortness of breath.

• Fatigue: Due to constant sleep interruptions, it’s impossible to get a good night’s sleep, which leads to significant daytime fatigue. You’ll be drowsy, tired, and possibly irritable. The lack of sleep will also prevent you from concentrating on work, driving, or other such activities.
• High Blood Pressure: When you stop breathing at night, there’s a lack of oxygen in your blood supply, which affects your cardiovascular system, increasing your blood pressure.
• Heart Condition: Heightened blood pressure also increases your risk of suffering from cardiovascular or heart conditions, such as heart attack, atrial fibrillation, strokes, etc.
• Type 2 Diabetes: Sleep apnea leads to insulin resistance, which increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Metabolic Syndrome: Sleep apnea can also result in a metabolic condition, which increases your blood pressure, cholesterol level, and blood sugar.
• Liver Condition: Sleep apnea increases the risk of liver damage
• Sleep Deprivation: Finally, sleep apnea leads to loud snoring, which can lead to sleep deprivation for the individual concerned and their sleep partner.
• and conditions like nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.partner.

Sleep apnea is generally caused by narrow dental arches or an underdeveloped jaw. At Nottingham Dental, we prefer to treat sleep apnea using a proprietary and nonsurgical treatment option called the Vivos system of oral appliances for sleep apnea.

The Vivos System is widely hailed as the biggest breakthrough in sleep apnea treatments since CPAP. It’s essentially an intraoral appliance, kind of like a retainer or a nightguard. As you wear this oral appliance for sleep apnea, it gradually applies pressure on your jawbones, moving it forward and outward. Over time, the Vivos oral appliance for sleep apnea lifts your soft tissues up off the throat, opening your upper airway. As such, the Vivos System of oral appliance helps you breathe comfortably, avoid snoring, and eventually treat sleep apnea.

While CPAPs help you breathe, they don’t necessarily cure you. Nottingham Dental’s Vivos treatment, in comparison, cures sleep apnea. You have to wear an oral appliance for sleep apnea in the evenings and while sleeping for 1 to 2 years. After that, once you’re cured, you no longer have to wear oral appliances or CPAP.

Our dental office also works with children. Sleep apnea in children can manifest in various ways, including ADD/ADHD, chronic allergies, night terrors, daytime drowsiness, snoring, restless sleep, irritability, swollen tonsils, dark circles, bedwetting, and more. Most people don’t connect these symptoms to sleep apnea even though they’re common symptoms of sleep disorders. At Nottingham Dental, we carefully assess your children and use orthodontic appliances to treat sleep disorder. The Vivos orthodontic appliance moves the jaws to facilitate optimal development of the oral cavity. As your child’s oral cavity and jaws develop, their airway also expands, allowing them to breathe easier, minimizing the risk of sleep apnea. 

Vivos oral appliance for sleep apnea is primarily used to treat snoring, breathing ailments, and sleep apnea. However, the following is an overview of all the ways it can help you:

• Prevent snoring at night, which is especially beneficial for your sleep partners.
• They’re extremely comfortable and allow you to sleep peacefully, ensuring you’re not tired the next day.
• No more waking headaches or migraines.
• Treats severe teeth grinding and clenching.
• It helps children with ADD or ADHD.
• Issues like bedwetting, chronic allergies, frequent headaches, and night terrors can also be symptomatic of sleep apnea. If your child is suffering from any of these issues, contact Dr. Yan today for an evaluation..
• Treat cosmetic issues, such as underbite, weak chin, gummy smile, etc.
• Since the Vivos oral appliance gradually applies pressure on your jaws, it may also fix some cosmetic or orthodontic issues, such as straightening overcrowded teeth.