Sunbury
sleep apnea Treatment

If your sleep specialist believes that you have OSA and that an oral appliance is the best option for treating your apnea, Dr. Miller can help. Sleep specialists must work with a dentist to develop an oral appliance that fits your mouth perfectly and eliminates OSA.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea by a sleep specialist and you are interested in treatment with an oral appliance, contact the team at Shine Dental right away. We would be happy to work with your sleep doctor to help you get the care you need.

• Heavy snoring is a common symptom of apnea, but snoring alone does not always mean that you have apnea
• If snoring is accompanied by frequent gasps, snorts, or interruptions in breathing, this could be a sign of apnea.
• Waking up frequently during the night or feeling like you are choking is a common symptom
• If you regularly experience a sore or scratchy throat and nose when waking, this is an indicator of sleep apnea

If you recognize one or more of these symptoms in your sleeping partner, you may want to contact a sleep specialist for a more comprehensive assessment and to determine if obstructive sleep apnea is causing these issues.

 In some cases, sleep apnea can be treated with lifestyle changes, such as diet & weight loss, minimizing the use of alcohol and sedative drugs, and taking anti-inflammatory supplements. A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine is also a common solution for sleep apnea. This device delivers a stream of gently pressurized air through a breathing mask. This pressurized air prevents the tissue in the throat and palate from sagging, preventing apnea.

Another device that is popular for sleep apnea is called an “oral appliance.” Oral appliances look similar to a night guard or athletic mouth guard. They are intended to reposition the jaws and mouth at night during sleep, and prevent oral tissues from sagging. Oral appliances, unlike CPAP machines, do not require a power source or a bulky machine, and do not restrict recommended sleeping positions.

At Shine Dental, we’ve made it easier than ever to get diagnosed with sleep apnea through SleepTestCRM. Using this online tool, Dr. Miller can submit your information for a sleep test, and you’ll have testing equipment sent right to your home so that she can make a diagnosis and review your results.

Using this tool, we can skip the primary care physician visit and the need to see a sleep specialist, in most cases, making it faster and easier for you to get the treatment you need for sleep apnea.

If you have mild-to-moderate sleep apnea, Dr. Miller will likely recommend oral appliance therapy. This treatment involves creating a custom oral appliance, which looks sort of like an athletic mouthguard or a nightguard for teeth grinding.

This appliance will be designed to move your jaw into a healthier position as you sleep, shifting it into a forward position that helps maintain an open airway. Your oral tissue won’t sag, and this eliminates the negative effects of sleep apnea. Along with lifestyle changes, oral appliance therapy is a very effective way to treat sleep apnea.

However, if you have very serious OSA, you may need to get a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine instead. This machine uses a pump connected to a mask that you wear during sleep. A steady stream of pressurized air is sent into your airway and lungs, which prevents your airway from collapsing and treats the symptoms of sleep apnea