Loud, constant snoring, irritability, and daytime sleepiness may all be symptoms of sleep apnea. Finding a sleep apnea treatment can improve your health and your relationship with your spouse.

Sunrise Dental can help. Our dentists have the knowledge and training to help you or someone you love receive the sleep apnea treatment that you need so both of you can sleep better.

Contact any of our dentist offices in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, or Cary to learn more about what we can do to help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated each morning.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

According to sleep disorder experts, close to 20 million Americans have some form of sleep apnea. Of that group, most people with sleep apnea have never been diagnosed and as a result, they are not getting the treatment they need.

To put it simply, people with sleep apnea stop breathing when they fall asleep. That sounds scary, and it should. These stoppages can last up to 30 seconds at a time. Some with sleep apnea can stop breathing anywhere from 4 to more than 30 times per hour.

In response, his or her body will wake that person up. Often this is just long enough to take a breath or two, and the person has no memory that this has happened.

For people with obstructive sleep apnea (the most common type of this sleep disorder), the breathing stoppages are a result of a physical issue. Their airways become blocked as their muscle relax and soft tissues collapse when they fall asleep.

At first, this can cause their airways to become partially blocked. That restricted access makes it harder to breathe. It also makes them more likely to snore while amplifying the sound of that snoring (which spouses are all too aware of).

How Can Sunrise Dental Treat Your Sleep Apnea?

We want you to sleep better (for your sake), and we want you to snore less (for your partner’s sake). Since obstructive sleep apnea is a physical issue, we can help.

You need to be able to breathe in order to stay asleep for longer periods of time. This means you need to find a way to keep your airways open.

One way to do this is with a CPAP machine. CPAP means continuous positive airway pressure. This machine forces air through a mask into your mouth or nose to keep your airways open.

For some people, this works well. For others, the machine becomes a new problem. The sound of the machine keeps some people awake. The mask may become irritating or lose its seal, making it ineffective. Plus, the machine needs electricity to work.

You can avoid the sound of the machine, the irritating mask, and the need for electricity by getting a special oral appliance from Sunrise Dental. (We are in the network for Blue Cross Blue Shield and other insurance companies. This could help offset some of the cost of this oral appliance.)

You will wear this mouthpiece while you sleep. It may take some adjusting to get used to it, but once you do, you should sleep deeper, snore less, and wake up feeling refreshed.

The oral appliance works by pulling your jaw forward slightly. This will help to keep your airways open so you can continue breathing throughout the night.

Why We Want To Treat Your Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea doesn’t just affect you when you are asleep.

The constant waking up prevents you from getting the deep sleep that you need to recover from the daily activities. This can lead to sleep deprivation, which can leave you feeling fatigued and more than double your risk of being in a car accident.

The fight for breath has other effects as well. People with sleep apnea are more likely to have high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

An oral appliance from Sunrise Dental has helped many patients reduce their risk of accidents and heart problems. One of our appliances could do the same thing for you or someone you love.

Schedule a consultation today to learn more.

Don’t Let Sleep Apnea Ruin Your Life

Untreated sleep apnea is more than just an annoyance for the people around you. It increases the odds that you will have other health problems as well.

Call or use the online form for the Sunrise Dental office closest to you to make an appointment today. Our dentists are located in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, and Cary.