Sleep Apnea Treatments
Dental Office in Encino, CA
Sleep Apnea Treatments
OVERVIEW
The disorder known as sleep apnea is characterized by continued stops in your breathing at night. This is caused by the muscles relaxing and gravity pulling your airway close. The brief suffocation that happens creates excessive strain on the body, which may cause heart complications like mood change, weight gain, fatigue, hypertension, and memory loss. There are lots of sleep or snoring apnea treatments to choose from, varying from airway surgeries such as an adenoidectomy, maxillofacial surgery, tonsillectomy, or a CPAP device. Sometimes people aren’t pleased with these solutions. In these situations, they may turn to dental alternatives to help take care of the issue. At The Dental Office Encino, board-certified dentists Drs. Alan and Yonatan Howard offer custom snore guards to offer relief to their patients with sleep apnea. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Alan or Yonatan Howard at our office in Encino, CA to learn more about snore guards to treat sleep apnea.
REVIEWS
BEST CANDIDATES
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea or a mild to moderate snoring issue, a dental appliance might be able to help sleep better. Sleep apnea could be harmful because it stops you from breathing naturally hundreds of times each night as the cells in your soft palate and throat collapse. When this occurs, your airway is obstructed, stopping oxygen from getting to your brains and other organs. So naturally, it’s essential to have it treated and diagnosed properly using the very best options available.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Sleep apnea therapy by Dr. Howard at The Dental Office Encino uses what’s known as oral appliance therapy (OAT), which may be an extremely effective treatment for sleep apnea. It’s a customized device that fits in your mouth at night. It is often compared to a mouth guard for athletics or even a retainer. The main difference is that rather than protecting your teeth from trauma, it softly places the jaw into a forward position to continue to keep your airway open. There are over a hundred unique versions on the market, so Dr. Howard will work with you to be certain that you receive the most suitable one for your needs and goals. This can be determined after he performs an evaluation of your tongue, airway, teeth, and jaw. You’ll also have oral x-rays performed so that Dr. Howard can create detailed impressions of your teeth for your dental appliance.
FOLLOW-UP
After your dental apparatus has been made, you will be ready for a fitting. The Dental Office Encino will call you to schedule your follow-up appointment. Dr. Howard will adjust and fit it according to your needs to make it as comfortable as possible. He will allow plenty of time to teach you about your snoring/sleep apnea appliance, including the proper way to maintain, store, and clean it. Dr. Howard will ask you to bring your appliance to future appointments and return every year to examine it for wear and tear. Your overall quality of life should improve if you use your snore guard every night.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
Insurance benefits for sleep apnea therapies can differ, so we’ll speak with your dental insurance company to help us determine your out-of-pocket expenses. Whether you have dental insurance or not, Dr. Howard can give you price estimates while informing you about your treatment choices. To help make your dental appliance easy to afford, The Dental Office Encino takes several payment methods and might have the ability to assist you in finding low-interest medical financing.
SLEEP APNEA TREATMENTS
When your breathing is interrupted numerous times every night, you may have trouble staying awake during the day and other problems. If you think you might have sleep apnea, schedule an appointment at The Dental Office Encino. Drs. Alan or Yonatan Howard may be able to help you sleep better with a custom sleep guard. Contact our office in Encino, CA for more information on snore guards.
