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.

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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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