Dental Jaw Treatment and Sleep Disorders

Did you know your dentist can improve the quality of your sleep?

If you have a sleep disorder, you are not alone. Roughly 5-12% of people suffer from this type of medical disorder. Millions of Americans struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep every night, exhibiting sleep problems such as snoring, which can be indicative of obstructive sleep apnea.

The consequences of sleep disorders can include an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and a greater mortality risk. While the harmful effects of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea continue to make headlines of TV news programs and websites, little information seems to be conveyed to the majority of at-risk people about modern medical screening and methods of dental management available. Dental jaw treatment is one such treatment.

The safe and effective treatment involves positioning special oral dental appliances, opening the throat’s airway space during sleep. The devices help to alleviate snoring, sleep apnea, and certain other sleep disorders that often interfere with your lifestyle and reduce your quality of life. Designed to be worn at night, the oral devices are a major non-surgical treatment option.

While dental device designs vary, they all aim to achieve the same effect of keeping the airway open during sleep by bringing the lower jaw forward, even for patients with severe sleep disorders. The best mouth appliance designs grip the teeth without moving them and do not over-stress or cause pain to patients when regularly worn at night. For best care, the special oral devices should be routinely examined to make sure the fit is right.