Sleep Apnea Therapy – Newburyport, MA
Get the Night of Quality Sleep You Deserve
Are you consistently tired throughout the day because you lack quality sleep during the night? Are you frequently waking up with a headache or sore through? Has your partner mentioned that you snore frequently? If any of these scenarios apply to you, you may have sleep apnea. This disorder can impact your daily productivity and increase your risk of other health issues. Here at Dental Partners of Newburyport, we offer sleep apnea therapy to help you get the night of quality sleep you deserve. Give us a call to get started!
Why Choose Dental Partners of Newburyport for Sleep Apnea Therapy?
- Dentist Affiliated with the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine
- Oral Appliances for Deeper, Higher Quality Sleep
- Flexible Financing Options Available
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Apnea is a Greek word meaning “without breath,” and sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes patients to stop breathing for ten or more seconds at a time during sleep. These apnea incidences occur 100s of times each night triggering an emergency response, increasing heart rate, and restarting breathing. Over time, sleep apnea leads to numerous adverse health effects including:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness, exhaustion
- Elevated blood pressure due to the increased strain on the heart caused by the repeated awakenings throughout the night
- Lack of concentration, memory loss, and behavioral changes due to lack of sleep
The most common type of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when the muscles in your throat or the back of your mouth relax and collapse, causing a blockage in your airway. This can result in loud snoring and the repetitive stoppage of breathing during sleep. Many people who have this condition are unaware of it, but they wake up in the morning feeling unrested.
The less common type of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea (CSA), and it affects fewer than 1% of people. People with CSA have episodes of stopped, slowed, or shallow breathing during sleep that occurs because of a failure in communication between the brain and the muscles responsible for respiration.
The Dangers of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea does more than just deprive your body of rest. People who lack quality sleep struggle with focus, memory, depression, and reaction time. In addition, untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of developing heart disease and experiencing a cardiovascular event, like a heart attack. Pregnant women with untreated sleep apnea are much more likely to have a pre-term birth due to the increase in blood pressure. Ultimately, it is worth getting this condition checked out.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
To relieve the adverse effects of sleep apnea, patients traditionally use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) systems, and while these systems offer significant relief for most patients, some struggle to adjust to the sounds, smells, and feel of CPAP masks and airflow. Many are considered CPAP intolerant because they are unable to sleep peacefully while utilizing their CPAP systems. For these patients, we offer oral appliance therapy as an alternative.
An oral appliance adjusts the jaw to sit slightly forward keeping the airway open. Custom-fitted for superior comfort, oral appliances are lightweight, portable, and effective. Even those patients who choose to utilize CPAP systems may wish to opt for a combination of the two treatment options. CPAPs are bulky and don’t travel well, but it’s simple enough to bring the small oral appliance anywhere.
There are numerous types of appliances available, and the Dental Partners of Newburyport team are happy to help patients find the solution that’s right for them. If you have recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea or you believe you may be suffering from sleep apnea, contact us to schedule a sleep apnea consultation today.