Sleep Apnea Treatment

Serving Myrtle Beach, Conway, and North Myrtle Beach areas of South Carolina

There are millions of people around the country who snore. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, a potentially dangerous condition that may lead to heart attack, stroke or even death. Sleep apnea is so dangerous because it causes you to stop breathing while you are asleep. This can happen hundreds of times a night in extreme cases. These disruptions force you out of slumber and reset your REM clock, as well as keep oxygen out of the blood.

Causes of Sleep Apnea

Estimates show that roughly 12 million people in the U.S. have some form of sleep apnea. Many of these sleep apnea sufferers have between 20 and 30 stoppages in their breathing every single night. The reason your breathing stops is that your tongue or soft tissue at the back of your throat relaxes and blocks your airway. This is called obstructive sleep apnea.

A blocked airway reduces oxygen flow, and when you quit breathing, you wake up. You may not realize you are awake since it may only be for a few seconds at a time. However, the cumulative effect of the lack of oxygen can hurt you in the short term as you won’t feel well-rested, and is dangerous to your long-term health.

Although snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, there are other symptoms of lack of continuous rest to pay attention to, including:

  • Cotton mouth
  • Daytime or chronic fatigue
  • Depression or other mood changes
  • Problems with concentration and memory
  • Insomnia

If you do not get enough sleep and your body is deprived of oxygen, sleep apnea can cause:

  • Diabetes
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Heart attack
  • Heart arrhythmia
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Weight gain

Treatment for Sleep Apnea

There are several ways to treat sleep apnea, including the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine and mask. However, some people are not good candidates for CPAP or cannot tolerate wearing the mask all night long. Because of this, we offer the SomnoDent MAS appliances for treatment of sleep apnea. These oral devices are worn like mouth guards, and are very good at helping to prevent snoring and moderate to severe cases of sleep apnea.

While we will look to see if SomnoDent MAS will be your best option, some other treatments include lifestyle changes. If you smoke, drink alcohol to excess, or are overweight, then changing these things may help eliminate or reduce your sleep apnea. If nothing seems to be helping, some patients may be recommended for surgery to correct the problems that cause sleep apnea.

If you are suffering from sleep apnea or would like to learn more about it and are in the Myrtle Beach or Conway, South Carolina area, or anywhere along the Grand Strand area, please contact the experienced sleep apnea dentists at the Carolina Center for Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry today.