Sleep Apnea and Dentistry: The Growing Role of Dental Solutions

Is obstructive sleep apnea causing issues with your oral health? Sleep apnea is a prevalent condition that causes you to have restless, interrupted sleep, and can have a relationship with dental problems. Recently, with advances in dental solutions, there are several ways your dentist can provide help with sleep apnea.

The Fuquay-Varina dentists at Hamby Family Dental Center are vigilant in looking at possible issues that affect your overall oral health as well as solutions to any problems you are experiencing. In this article, we explain the connection between sleep apnea and dentistry.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterized by repeated episodes of breathing cessation or shallow breathing during sleep. These episodes, called apneas, can last from a few seconds to several minutes. According to the National Sleep Foundation, an estimated 30 million adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common type of sleep apnea. This represents approximately 12% of the adult population.

It’s important to note, however, that many cases of sleep apnea go undiagnosed. Studies indicate that up to 85% of people with OSA may not be aware they have the condition. This means the number of people affected could be significantly higher, potentially reaching 50-70 million.

3 types of Sleep Apnea:

1. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): The most common type where the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep due to factors like excess weight, enlarged tonsils, or a narrow airway.
2. Central Sleep Apnea:  With Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) brain fails to send proper signals to the breathing muscles, resulting in periods of no breathing.
3. Complex Sleep Apnea: A combination of OSA and CSA.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea: 

• Loud snoring
• Gasping or choking sounds during sleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability
• Morning headaches
• Dry mouth

Other significant health consequences range from impaired cognitive function to chronic hypertension, coronary heart failure, neurocognitive dysfunction, and ischemic stroke.

The Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Oral Health

Many times, a dentist is often the earliest diagnostician of sleep disorders. Often the first sign of sleep apnea is tooth grinding, also called bruxism. A dentist may look for worn tooth surfaces, a sign that you are grinding your teeth. Bruxism can cause tooth wear and breakage as well as inflamed and receding gums. You could be experiencing more cavities as a sign of grinding because the force damages teeth, making them susceptible to bacteria that cause cavities.

A Dentist’s Role with Sleep Apnea

Your dentist can be consulted through the process of OSA diagnosis and treatment for patients. Dental care with patients who are either diagnosed with OSA or are at high risk for the condition may include comprehensive oral anatomy and the appropriateness of providing oral appliance therapy. Appropriate evaluation and patient assessment, including a thorough medical and dental history, are important steps to help identify individuals at risk. These assessments can also be made in your routine dental checkups. 

Dental Solutions for Sleep Apnea

Dentists work collaboratively with primary care physicians and sleep specialists as part of a multidisciplinary care team to provide optimal long-term care for patients with OSA. This includes periodic dental and periodontal assessment and fabrication and maintenance of properly fitted oral appliances.

If your dentist suspects that you have sleep apnea, they usually recommend several steps. First, it’s important to have a sleep study done. Even though dentists are knowledgeable in the symptoms and treatments of sleep apnea, only a medical doctor can make an official diagnosis. A sleep study will capture if you are having apnea episodes. If you are, the study also indicates how many in a certain period and what the duration is. This is crucial in determining the severity of sleep apnea.

If you have significant sleep apnea, your physician will recommend a Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy involving a machine that forces air through your air passages to circumvent episodes.

Secondly, oral appliance therapy directed by your dentist is commonly recommended for patients with mild to moderate OS, or for people with severe apnea who cannot tolerate the use of PAP.

Contact Hamby Family Dental Center Today for Better Oral Health

The dentists at Hamby Family Dental Center are primarily concerned with your overall oral health. We take a all encompassing approach in working with your other physicians and treatment plans. Contact us today for a checkup at 919-552-2431 or complete the form below to schedule your appointment.