If you snore heavily or have obstructive sleep apnea, in which you repeatedly awaken due to interruptions in your breath as you snooze, you’d probably like to find a solution. At Aura Dentistry, Dr. Chang Yi and Dr. Negar Tehrani offer dental appliances that change the position of your lower jaw and allow for better airflow. Consider this custom dental appliance as an alternative to an intrusive CPAP machine. If you live in McLean, Virginia, or the surrounding communities and suffer from sleep apnea or heavy snoring, call the office or use the online booking tool to make an appointment to find out if a dental appliance can help you.
When the muscles at the back of your throat collapse and close off your airway, you experience sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing for a short time and diminishes the amount of oxygen your body receives, causing your brain to react and awaken you from sleep so you can get a solid breath. In many cases, you don’t even realize you’re intermittently waking dozens of times per night.
There’s a higher risk of developing sleep apnea if you’re overweight, you’re a smoker, or you have any of these medical conditions:
Men tend to have obstructive sleep apnea at a rate twice that of women. You’re also at greater risk if the condition runs in your family.
You may suspect you have sleep apnea if your nighttime partner reports you snore loudly or seem to awaken repetitively during the night. Other symptoms include:
You make wake up with a dry mouth and sore throat or feel yourself wake up suddenly in the middle of the night with a choking sensation.
At Aura Dentistry, Dr. Yi and Dr. Tehrani can provide an appliance that moves your lower jaw into a forward position. Such tools increase space in the airway tube, reducing air velocity and soft tissue vibration (the action that causes snoring). By increasing the size of the airway and its capacity to accept air, your soft tissue no longer vibrates, which eliminates snoring.
The opening of the airway created by the appliance also facilitates adequate air flow so you won’t awaken due to sleep apnea. This appliance is custom designed to fit the size and shape of your mouth, so it’s comfortable to wear.
A dental appliance is minimally obtrusive in comparison to a noisy and cumbersome CPAP machine. Plus, you can travel with a dental appliance, and it won’t disturb your partner.
Whether you have sleep apnea or not, if you snore loudly, consider a dental appliance to provide relief. Call Aura Dentistry or book an appointment online to find out your options and finally get a good night of rest.
