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SLEEP APNEA
What is
Sleep Apnea?
Snoring vs.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea:
Snoring is to obstructive sleep apnea as thunder is to
lightning. They may, but not always, appear together. One may be just an
annoyance, but the other may be serious trouble.
With obstructive sleep apnea, muscles of the soft palate at
the base of the tongue and the uvula (the small, conical, fleshy tissue hanging
from the soft palate) relax and sag, obstructing the airway, making breathing
laboured and noisy. Collapse of the airway walls block breathing entirely. When
breathing periodically stops, a listener hears the snoring broken by pauses. As
pressure to breathe builds, muscles of the diaphragm work harder. Sleep is then
temporarily interrupted, sometimes only for seconds. This, in turn, activates
throat muscles and “un-corks” the airway. A listener hears deep gasping as
breathing starts. With each gasp, the sleeper awakens, but so briefly and
incompletely that he does not remember doing so in the morning. Someone with
obstructive sleep apnea may stop breathing for ten seconds or longer – dozens,
even hundreds of times each night.
Each time breathing stops, oxygen in the blood stream falls
and the heart must work harder to circulate blood. Blood pressure rises and
over time may stay elevated after breathing restarts. The heart sometimes beats
irregularly and may even pause for several seconds. This may account for some
deaths during sleep of people who went to bed in apparent good health.
The Medical
Problem:
Relapse of the tongue into the airway is one of the prime
causes of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
The Silencer
The Dental
Solution:
The Silencer is an articulated elastomeric mandibular
advancement appliance. This dental device is designed to allow the advancement
of the mandible through a controlled range of forward movement, while at the
same time, allowing for a limited amount of vertical and lateral movement of
the mandible. This appliance has proven extremely effective in treating snoring
and sleep apnea.
There are three component materials in the Silencer. The
body of the appliance is constructed of elastomer, a pliable material which
offers the patients a much greater degree of comfort than harder acrylic
materials. For additional support, to the dentition as well as the
Tempo-Mandibular Joint, hard acrylic “bite pads” are placed in the molar
regions. A commercially pure titanium articulating component grants the
appliance the many adjustment characteristics that make the Silencer unique –
kind to the tissues, the teeth, and the Tempo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ).
Dental
Appliance Therapy:
The tongue, attached as it is to the jaw, may be pulled
forward by the advancement of the jaw. The Silencer has an adjustability
feature which permits incremental advancement of the jaw to achieve this
requirement.
Snoring is associated with an increased risk of hypertension
as well as an increased risk of both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular
disease. Snoring, even without apnea, can lead to numerous arousals from
obstructed breathing. Arousals have been linked to sympathetic nervous system
activation which may provide a casual link between snoring and hypertension.
- 24% of males and 18% of females suffer from snoring.
- 60%of males and 40% of females over the age of 60
snore (female snoring increases after menopause).
- Over long periods, sleep apnea results in
intellectual and memory deterioration.
What Treatment
Offers:
Most people with sleep apnea benefit from both general
measures and specific treatments.
- Lose excess weight
- Get regular exercise
- Avoid alcohol, heavy meals and medications that make you
drowsy
Sleep Apnea
Quiz:
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I have been told that I snore.
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I have been told that I stop breathing while I sleep, although I
don’t remember.
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I feel tired and irritable in the morning even though I slept
through the night.
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I am having trouble controlling my weight.
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I sweat excessively during the night.
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I have noticed my heart pounding or beating irregularly during
the night.
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I get morning headaches.
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I have trouble sleeping when I have a cold.
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I have jolted awake gasping for breath during the night.
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I am overweight.
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