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Obstructive Sleep Apnea

I have blogged on sleep apnea facts before but would like to spend a little time to discuss the signs and diagnosis of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a common but potentially life-threatening medical disorder in which the tissue at the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway.  Due to the collapsing tissue, oxygen flow may be reduced to the heart, brain, and other important organs.

People with sleep apnea tend to snore loudly and stop breathing for short periods during sleep.  The reduction in oxygen to the system causes the body to momentarily wake up but it does so very quickly so the individual is not aware that they woke up.  The body could do this hundreds of times a night leading to less restful sleep. Sleep apnea can cause daytime drowsiness, morning headaches, memory loss, decreased sex drive, irritability, depression, and impaired concentration. 

Some of the signs of sleep apnea include:

• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Unintentionally falling asleep throughout the day
• General daytime sleepiness
• Unrefreshed sleep
• Loud snoring
• Waking from sleep with choking sounds or gasping for breath

If you have any of these symptoms, you may have sleep apnea.  To properly diagnose sleep apnea, a physician would perform a sleep study where an individual is linked to a machine called a Polysomnogram.  The machine would chart the individual's heart beat, brain waves, and breathing during sleep.  The machine's printout would indicate the pause in breathing that occurs with sleep apnea and the body's reactions to wake up.

There are several options for treatment of sleep apnea, including surgery to reduce the tissue at the back of the throat or a mechanism that would aid in keeping the airway open during sleep.  After a proper diagnosis of sleep apnea, a sleep specialist would recommend the proper treatment options. 

Source: http://www.aadsm.org/sleepapnea.aspx

R. Eric Emery, DDS

Morgan A. Emery, DDS
Smile Station Dental

2901 Dougherty Ferry Rd, Suite 400

St. Louis, MO 63122

(314)821-7100

smilestationdental.com

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News You Can Use

Custom-Made Mouthguards Reduce Risk of Concussion

Healthcare professionals and parents have long sought better ways to protect children from sports-related injuries.  While most dental research in this area focused on protecting the teeth and gums, recent research indicates that by protecting the mouth correctly, you may reduce the risk of a sports-related concussion.  

A recent study released by the Academy of General Dentistry examined the effect of an over-the-counter (OTC) mouthguard versus a professionally made mouth guard on the incidents of mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI)/concussions.  The researchers split 412 children into two groups, one received a professionally fabricated mouthguard (made by a dentist) and the other received an OTC mouthguard from a sports store.  All children wore the same football helmet.  

The results indicated that 8.3% of athletes with the OTC mouthguard suffered from MTBI/concussions. For athletes using custom-made mouthguards, the rate of MTBI/concussions was only 3.6%.  

Some factors that contributed to the greater effectiveness of the custom-made mouthguards included the fit of the mouthguard and the thickness.  Custom-made mouthguards fit better and last longer than OTC mouthguards.  They also tend to be thicker with the custom-made ones averaging 3.5 mm in thickness with the OTC mouthguards averaging 1.65 mm.


 Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501101133.htm


R. Eric Emery, DDS
Morgan A. Emery, DDS
Smile Station Dental
2901 Dougherty Ferry Rd. Suite 400
St. Louis, MO 63122
(314)821-7100
smilestationdental.com
Like us on Facebook!