Finding a Dentist In Blue Earth MN That Treats Sleep Apnea

by | Sep 19, 2022 | Dentist

Do you feel tired during the day despite getting six to eight hours of recommended shut eye the night before or perhaps you have a partner who complains about loud snoring and observes that you stop breathing while you sleep? Maybe you have troubles concentrating on everyday tasks, feel irritable, experience a dry throat upon awakening or suffer with morning headaches on a regular basis.

A physical exam by a board certified physician, a review of your family’s medical history, and the results of a sleep study may determine if obstructive sleep apnea can explain these troublesome symptoms. If you are diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, you may be prescribed a CPAP machine to use while you sleep or told to lose weight, sleep only on your stomach or sides, stop smoking, and avoid sleeping pill and alcohol consumption. If you are unable to use the machine or the behavior modifications do not relieve the condition, consider finding a dentist in Blue Earth, MN with sleep medicine training. A dentist can help you treat obstructive sleep apnea, but does not have the certification to diagnose it.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition where people experience shallow breathing or stop breathing altogether for as long as sixty seconds hundred of times while sleeping due to throat soft tissue blocking the airway. Without treatment you could be at risk of memory loss, weight gain, depression, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure.

An oral exam and x-rays by a sleep medicine trained Dentist in Blue Earth, MN will help you decide if an oral appliance can help control your sleep apnea and eliminate snoring. After impressions of your teeth are taken an oral appliance that resembles a mouth guard can be made especially for you. Wearing the device while sleeping will change your lower jaw and tongue position allowing your airway to stay open.

Expect to participate in repeated sleep studies, revisit your physician, and attend follow up appointments with a dentist to make sure that your oral appliance is doing its job. Visit Birch Street Dentistry for more information about an oral appliance helping treat your obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.

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