Around 30 million Americans are affected by obstructive sleep apnea, with an estimated 80% of cases remain undiagnosed. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repeated airway collapses (lasting from a few seconds to more than a minute), which disturbs your ability to get a good night’s rest. You may have sleep apnea if you have the following symptoms:
The only way to know if you have sleep apnea is to get a sleep test. Consult with your Primary Care Provider on how you can get your at-home sleep test, which will then be interpreted by a sleep physician to determine what degree of sleep apnea you have (if any). Once you have your test results, consult with your team at Story City Dental to see if you are a good candidate for oral sleep appliances.
Nightguards come in different designs and serve different purposes. Without a proper diagnosis of the presence/absence of sleep apnea, wearing a nightguard can make breathing worse in patients who have undiagnosed sleep apnea. In the absence of sleep apnea, custom nightguards are a great option to manage nighttime grinding. Ask your Story City Dental team at your next visit what option works best for you and your mouth!
Nightguards come in different designs and serve different purposes. Without a proper diagnosis of the presence/absence of sleep apnea, wearing a nightguard can make breathing worse in patients who have undiagnosed sleep apnea. In the absence of sleep apnea, custom nightguards are a great option to manage nighttime grinding. Ask your Story City Dental team at your next visit what option works best for you and your mouth!
