How Dentist can Help to treat Sleep Apnoea?

In Melbourne, Sleep apnoea is caused by a lack of air passing through the lungs during the condition; This is an episode that lasts for more than 10 seconds. This lack of air lowers the level of oxygen in the blood, resulting in a lack of oxygen to the brain and other bodily tissues, a condition known as hypoxia.

To normalize the level of oxygen in the blood, the brain instructs astral awakening and commands the body to reopen the airways. The person wakes up for a while and begins to breathe, often with a sound first, and then falls asleep. Often, the person has no recollection of these subtle awakenings in the morning.

During sleep, the muscles of the pharynx (the part of the throat that sits behind the mouth and nasal cavity) relax too much and block the airways, which is why sleep apnoea episodes occur. Such episodes can occur several times within an hour of sleep and more than 10-15 episodes of sleep apnoea within an hour are obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in Melbourne.

This syndrome breaks a night’s sleep into hundreds of small pieces, resulting in the person feeling tired because the body’s systems don’t have enough time to rejuvenate at night. Lack of oxygen also affects a person's metabolism, which is why a person with obstructive sleep apnoea feels tired, irritable and usually has a headache.

According to the American National Sleep Foundation, obstructive sleep dentistry costs Melbourne more than $100 billion annually. This is a very common problem, although it is not widely known, so many people are unaware of its existence.

When it comes to treating obstructive sleep apnoea in Melbourne, the gold standard is CPAP-therapy, which involves wearing a CPAP mask during sleep. Due to the intrusive nature of CPAP masks, about 50% of patients do not opt??for CPAP-therapy for a long period of time. In addition, CPAP-therapy is not recommended for mild to moderate forms of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. So, what is the recommended treatment for this?

How dentists can help prevent obstructive sleep apnoea?

Sleep apnoea dentists can help treat mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome through a dental device, which can also be used in conjunction with CPAP-therapy for more effective results. Dental equipment is easy to use, compact, effective and inexpensive. The main function of these devices is to keep the airways open to prevent episodes of obstructive sleep apnoea.

These oral devices have been used in medicine for almost 30 years and the technology has continuously improved over the years. The most significant improvements are focused on comfort, i.e., the appearance of the equipment and the materials used in production. There are three common types of dental instruments, which are worn at night in the mouth, and fitted by a dentist or orthodontist:

1. Tongue retention devices (TRD): These devices hold the tongue to keep the airway open.
2. OPA device (oral pressure device): These devices lift the soft palate (the tissue in the back of the mouth) and keep the tongue in a fixed position to keep the airways open.
3. Mandibular Advancement Spines (MAS) or Mandibular Advance Device (MAD): These are the most commonly used oral devices for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Their function is to keep the lower jaw in a forward position, thus allowing normal airflow to the lungs and preventing the displacement of the lower jaw during sleep. As a result, airflow is completely restored and obstructive sleep apnoea episodes are closed.

Modern mandibular advance devices are made individually for the upper and lower jaws, and both are attached to the jaw before bedtime. When attached to the jaw, this device opens the airway through the front position of the jaw and tongue.

The lower part of the device keeps the lower jaw in the forward position at about 75% of the maximum forward motion. Two weeks after wearing this device, the patient is examined a second time in a sleep study. If necessary, the dentist can manipulate the device by moving the jaw a few millimetres to further correct the problem.

Dental equipment suits everyone, as each mouth is unique. Methods used to create and fit the correct instruments include: cephalometry (study of head and face-to-face proportions), computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, video endoscopy, and cephalometry of the patient's side with and without the device.

Dental equipment is generally recommended in the following situations:

1. mild or moderate forms of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (less than 20 episodes of apnoea within an hour)
2. the patient's reluctance to use the CPAP-mask or the unintended consequences of its use
3. reluctance for surgical treatment of the patient or in the past unsuccessful surgical treatment
4. the patient is in the healthy weight range (BMI-Body Mass Index is used to measure this)
5. The patient’s desire to use dental equipment every night.

What to consider before visiting a sleep apnoea dentist?

Dental devices are not recommended in the treatment of patients with central sleep apnoea syndrome, as this type of sleep apnoea is not associated with narrowing of the upper respiratory tract, but is closely related to heart and lung problems.

For patients with severe forms of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, the oral device is not sufficient, and such patients are treated with CPAP-therapy. There are also age restrictions; Oral devices are not suitable for patients under 18 years of age.

It is a more common disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. In such cases, the use of oral devices helps prevent tooth friction and significantly reduces the motor activity of the chewing muscles during sleep.

According to the latest information, it was found that: Patients Many patients prefer to use oral devices with and without CPAP-therapy-56-68% of patients continue to use oral devices for more than 30 months;

If you have been suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome for many years, which causes snoring loudly. Because it is a sleep disorder that is not widely talked about, she had difficulty finding information to help understand the causes and symptoms of the syndrome and the available treatments.

Holistic Dentist Donvale, we are committed to providing high quality dental services in Donvale with relaxing and comfortable environment.