Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea occurs when your breathing repeatedly stops during the night, cutting off oxygen.
Untreated, this condition can leave you tired and irritable during the day, and can lead to serious health concerns.
Learn how Redlands Family Dentistry can help Redlands, CA, patients achieve restful sleep with a custom oral appliance.
The Different Types of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where a person's breathing is interrupted and stops during their sleep. These disruptions can last a few seconds to a few minutes and can happen hundreds of times during the night.
Sleep apnea can affect your health by causing high blood pressure and drowsiness. Patients who come to our Redlands, CA, office typically have one of these types of sleep apnea:
A sleep study can help diagnose sleep apnea. Patients who have central sleep apnea and complex sleep apnea will need to see a specialist.
How to Tell If You're Living With Sleep Apnea
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact our Redlands office today.
Daytime Sleepiness
Drowsiness or fatigue can disrupt your work, make driving dangerous, and impact your quality of life.
Loud Snoring
Snoring caused by sleep apnea can wake you and your bed partner up repeatedly through the night. An inability to stay asleep can lead to insomnia.
Disrupted Concentration
Having fragmented sleep can make concentrating difficult and negatively affect your ability to focus on everyday tasks.
Rising Health Issues
High blood pressure, diabetes, and depression have all been linked to blocked upper airways and decreased oxygen levels.
Who Is at Risk of Sleep Apnea?
Patients who have these characteristics and habits may be at higher risk for sleep apnea:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Heavy alcohol use
- Thick neck
- Aging
- High blood pressure
- Blocked airways
- Family history
We Can Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea With a Simple Device
A custom oral appliance, also known as a mouth guard or a night guard, is an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. The night guard repositions the lower jaw, keeping the tongue from blocking the throat. This keeps the upper airways open during sleep.
Redlands Family Dentistry offers the Moses® appliance to treat sleep apnea. These custom-made oral appliances can be adjusted as needed to ensure a proper fit.
Patients report experiencing a good night's rest wearing the oral appliance, no longer interrupted by loud snoring or pauses in breathing.
Using a CPAP
CPAP, which stands for continuous positive airway pressure, is a device worn during sleep to help regulate effective respiration through the upper airway. While CPAP machines were once the standard treatment for sleep apnea, they can be loud and bulky. For many patients, a night guard provides more comfortable treatment.
Will My Insurance Cover Treatment?
Coverage depends on your insurance plan, but insurance is likely to cover some or all of the expenses for a mouth guard. If you have out-of-pocket expenses to treat your sleep apnea, Redlands Family Dentistry offers CareCredit® financing, and payments can be made in installments.
Redlands Chooses Us for Their Care
Karen J. Davidson
2019
What a wonderful place with amazing staff, excellent and caring hygienists, and excellent dentists! I appreciate their attention to detail. It makes going to the Dentist fun!
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Joshua Doney
2019
I have gone to “chain” dentists in the past and developed an overall distrust of dentists. But Dr. Hoffer and his staff are so genuine, caring, and patient in explaining the state of my teeth, the procedures they are about to provide and why they are doing it. So thankful to have found this office!
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