Sleep Apnea Treatment
Bellevue and Seattle, Washington
Sleep apnea is a chronic disorder that interferes with a restful night’s sleep and can lead to a variety of medical and health issues. In some cases, sleep apnea can be treated through simple lifestyle changes. Diet, exercise, or giving up drinking and smoking can all have a positive effect on the quality of your sleep. Additionally, changing your sleeping position so that you sleep on your side instead of on your back may help alleviate the airway blockage causing your condition.
However, some cases are caused by anatomical issues or medical conditions, and lifestyle changes will have little to no impact in these situations. If lifestyle changes are unable to help treat your sleep apnea, Seattle sleep apnea dentists Dr. Aaron Cooley and Dr. Brandon Cooley will recommend the appropriate treatment method to alleviate your condition.
Common Treatments for Sleep Apnea
At Cooleysmiles, we have found the most effective and safe way to treat sleep apnea is through oral appliance therapy. After years of experience, we have found the Snore Guard® overnight mouthpiece to be the most beneficial to our patients.
Snore Guard is a mouthpiece that works with your natural body reflexes to keep your airways open. The mouthpiece is placed on your upper teeth, and the Snore Guard’s gentle incline causes your lower teeth to follow the ramp, moving your tongue and jaw into a forward position. By placing your tongue and jaw in this optimal position, the Snore Guard mouthpiece allows air to pass through unobstructed, resulting in a restful and complete night’s sleep.
For patients with severe sleep apnea, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines are available that can force high pressure air into your airways, keeping them open while you sleep. The major drawback to CPAP treatment is that the device is cumbersome and can be uncomfortable. As a result, CPAP patients often do not use the device as much as needed to treat their sleep apnea. This poor compliance rate is one of the primary reasons why we prefer oral appliance therapy as our treatment method of choice.
If you are suffering from sleep apnea in or around Bellevue or Seattle, Washington, please contact the apnea dentists at Cooleysmiles today to schedule a thorough evaluation.