How a Dentist Tackles Sleep Apnea

Some people have asked us, why are we taking on obstructive sleep apnea? Isn't that the realm of the otorhinolaryngologist (ear/nose/throat doctor)? The answer is sure -- you could get a referral, see a specialist, pay an excessive amount of money for a cure and watch your insurance rates skyrocket. Or, you can see someone you already know and trust to take care of your smile, pay a lot less money, and end up with the same positive result.

How Do We Fix It?

There are a lot of different kinds of obstructive sleep apnea -- or rather, the obstruction can happen in a lot of different places. Obstructions where the tongue slides backwards to block off the throat have to be treated differently than ones where the throat collapses in on itself, which in turn are different from obstructions where the tonsils and palette fall together to block the air.

Depending on which of the kinds of obstructive sleep apnea you have, there are different approaches that can work to fix it. For the tongue-blocking kind of sleep apnea, there's an oral appliance that you can wear while you sleep that will keep your tongue from sliding backward. If you have the tonsils-and-palette kind of blockage, there's a different appliance you can wear that will force your lower jaw forward, which creates enough space that the air can get around your relaxed palette.

In cases severe enough that the dental appliances don't work, or in cases where the problem is further down the throat, there are two options. The first is surgery by a medical surgeon. The second is a machine called a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. You wear a mask over your face while you sleep, and it continuously pushes air into your moth. Between the pressure from the outside and the suction from your lungs expanding, almost any natural blockage of your airways can be overcome.