The National Sleep Foundation says that sleep apnea affects more than 20 million adults in the United States. What’s interesting though, is that 80 percent of sleep apnea cases are undiagnosed. Many are not aware that sleep apnea is the root cause of their health issues. While many are aware that they have a sleep disorder, they are not fully educated about how serious sleep apnea is if it goes untreated.
What is Sleep Apnea?
If you have sleep apnea, your breathing is interrupted repeatedly while you sleep, lasting about 10 seconds. If untreated, this condition may lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, increasing your chances of stroke and heart attack.
Sleep apnea happens when the tongue is too big, the muscles at the back of the throat is flaccid, the jaw is too small, causing obstructions in the airway.
Sleep apnea is typically linked to some dental concerns. Surprised? Yes, your oral health may be to blame. If you think you may have sleep apnea, we at Dallas Dental Wellness can help.
Feel free to get in touch if you think the symptoms below describes you:
- Grinding of teeth during sleep
- Chronic snoring
- Insomnia
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- Waking up with a headache
- You feel very sleepy during the day
- You have risk factors such as smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, or being overweight
Many of our patients at Dallas Dental Wellness are surprised when we ask them about their quality of sleep. But did you know that your oral health can give you clues about sleep apnea, and that your Dallas dentist are often the first professionals to give the diagnosis?
We can be your partner for sleep apnea treatment. Give us a call so we can go over your treatment options.
