Woman in a pink shirt sleeps soundly while wearing a sleep apnea appliance from her Fort Smith dentist

Restore Your Sleep with a Sleep Apnea Appliance

October 30, 2021 9:44 pm
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Do you feel tired all the time? If you have a partner, do they complain about your snoring? You might have sleep apnea. This sleep disorder disrupts your breathing while you sleep, which can have serious health consequences. While CPAP machines are a common treatment, many patients can benefit from a simple oral sleep apnea appliance!

In this blog post, learn about this sleep disorder and how River City Dental may be able to help improve your quality of sleep!

Types of Sleep Apnea

There are three types of sleep apnea:

  1. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. With this condition, your upper airway becomes blocked during sleep due to collapse of your oral tissues. You might wake up gasping for breath.
  2. Central sleep apnea is a central nervous system issue. Your brain fails to signal to your diaphragm that you need to breathe while sleeping. Oral appliances don’t work for this type of sleep apnea.
  3. Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea.

How Do Oral Appliances for Sleep Apnea Work?

Once you receive a diagnosis for obstructive sleep apnea, we can design a treatment plan for you. The goal is to keep your airway open while you sleep. A special mouth appliance can reposition your jaw to prevent collapse of your airway. The device will be custom-made for your mouth so it will fit your bite perfectly and feel comfortable.

Is Sleep Apnea a Big Deal?

You might wonder if getting an oral appliance is worth it. Our answer: yes, it is! Sleep apnea isn’t just annoying; it can raise your risk of serious health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, drowsiness can result in decreased job performance, car accidents, and poor judgment in your everyday life. An oral appliance can help restore your sleep and significantly improve your health and quality of life!

Sleep Apnea Appliances in Fort Smith, AR

If you’ve been suffering from poor quality sleep, snoring, headaches, fatigue, irritability, and mental fog, you might have sleep apnea. Our team at River City Dental offers oral appliance therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea. Please contact us today with any questions about our comprehensive dental services or to set up an appointment at our office.

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