Central Jersey Dental on Snoring: Often snoring is dismissed as an annoyance, but it can be a sign of a very serious condition known as obstructive sleep apnea. Snoring is caused by a blocked airway. The tongue falls backward during sleep and can fully or partially block the airway. The body then struggles to obtain air, and this causes the vibration we call snoring. Much of the time the body will continue to get just enough air so there will be very little harm. However, this condition is one of the signs that sleep apnea could be right around the corner.

Apnea episodes can occur from 30 to 60 times per night. This oxygen deprivation causes people to feel exhausted when they wake up, as though they haven’t really been sleeping. They’ve spent most of the night fighting for air, so it’s no wonder they feel tired, headachy, and irritable. The lower oxygen levels also put a strain on the heart.

Dr. Blumenstock and our staff cooperate with a medical sleep team that includes sleep physicians and specialists such as neurologists, pulmonologists and ENT specialists. Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are medical problems, so we make sure your individual situation is fully addressed by starting with an objective medical assessment. After referral from a physician, you’ll receive a thorough dental examination by Dr. Blumenstock, who will discuss all options, advantages, limitations, and consequences.

After you are fit with the oral appliance that should work best for you, we’ll take any needed time to adjust the appliance to a comfortable and effective position. Then we recommend a follow-up evaluation by the referring physician to objectively document the effectiveness of the therapy. We like to see all our sleep patients twice per year long term during active treatment to ensure the integrity of the oral structures and continued effectiveness of the treatment.

These appliances reduce the health risks associated with apnea without surgery or medication. There is a 96% success rate for people treated with these appliances. Learn more at www.Sleep-Apnea-Dentist-NJ.info.

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Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Episodes, called apneas, last long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and occur repeatedly throughout sleep.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common category of sleep-disordered breathing. The muscle tone of the body ordinarily relaxes during sleep. And since, at the level of the throat, the human airway is composed of walls of soft tissue . which can collapse . it is easy to understand why breathing can become obstructed during sleep. Mild, occasional sleep apnea, such as many people experience during an upper respiratory infection, may not be important. However, chronic, severe obstructive sleep apnea requires treatment to prevent sleep deprivation and other complications. The most serious complication is a severe form of congestive heart failure called cor pulmonale.

A dentist specializing in sleep disorders can prescribe oral appliance therapy (OAT). The oral appliance is a custom-made mouthpiece that shifts the lower jaw forward, which opens up the airway. OAT is usually successful in patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. OAT is a relatively new treatment option for sleep apnea in the United States, but is much more common in Canada and Europe.

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Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram.

The most common treatment and arguably the most consistently effective treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a continous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, which ‘splints’ the patient’s airway open during sleep by means of a flow of pressurized air into the throat.

CPAP and OAT are effective only for obstructive sleep apnea, not for central or mixed cases.

Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping. In some cases, the sound may be soft, in others loud and unpleasant. The structures are usually the uvula and soft palate. The irregular airflow is caused by a blockage . and usually due to one of the following:

• Throat weakness, causing the throat to close during sleep
• Mis-positioned jaw, often caused by tension in the muscles
• Fat gathering in and around the throat (often associated with overweight or obesity)
• Obstruction in the nasal passageway 

Statistics on snoring are often contradictory. However, at least 30% of adults, and perhaps as many as 50% of people in some demographics do snore.

Specially made dental appliances called mandibular advancement splints, are a common mode of treatment for snoring. They advance the lower jaw slightly, and thereby pull the tongue forward. Typically, a dentist specializing in sleep apnea dentistry is consulted. Such appliances have been proven to be effective in reducing snoring and sleep apnea in cases where the apnea is mild to moderate. Mandibular advancement splints are often tolerated much better than CPAP machines. Possible but rare side effects include gradual movement of the teeth, temporomandibular joint disorder, excess salivation, and gum irritation.

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