Expansive Orthodontics – Airway Health Solutions™
Providers who treat sleep apnea often will prescribe a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device, but many patients find these devices too difficult to use consistently and give up on them pretty quickly. You may be one of these patients.
Because the effects of sleep apnea can be dire, it’s important for you to explore CPAP alternatives so that you won’t have to rely on a machine or surgery or medications to help you get eight hours of shuteye. Expansive orthodontics offer an effective alternative to address sleep apnea.
The Many Consequences Of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea occurs when your airway repeatedly becomes obstructed while you are asleep, causing you to stop breathing for a short period of time. As a result, your body is deprived of sufficient oxygen and your tissues can develop inflammation in response.
This serious condition needs to be treated effectively in order for you to be your healthiest self. The many direct and immediate consequences of untreated sleep apnea include:
- Daytime fatigue and reduced energy for healthy behaviors like exercise or preparing nutritious meals
- Frequent sore throats or headaches upon waking
- Increase in mood symptoms like depression and irritability
- Difficulty staying focused and paying attention
- Potential safety concerns when driving or using equipment
- Possible reliance on substances like caffeine or medications to stay alert throughout the day
Furthermore, sleep apnea appears to be related to very serious systemic health issues, such as heart disease, hypertension and obesity. Patients who have untreated sleep apnea may even have an increased risk of sudden unexplained death.
You’re not the only one who suffers from your sleep apnea, either. Your sleeping partner’s rest is also disrupted, and the condition may cause them to sleep in a different room or suffer through the effects of a lack of restorative sleep themselves.
As you can see, there are many compelling reasons to pursue sleep apnea treatment that will improve the quality of life for you and the people who are closest to you.
CPAP Fails Too Many Patients
The first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is often a CPAP device that forces air into your nose and mouth via a mask and tubing. While this device is highly effective at keeping the airway open during sleep, it’s also cumbersome and patients often abandon it.
You may recognize some of the most common CPAP complaints yourself. The device can be:
- Uncomfortable – The mask must fit over the nose and mouth, and some patients have an aversion to that sensation.
- Inconvenient – The device needs access to a power source, and patients may need to re-arrange their bedroom space to connect it.
- Unwieldy – It can be a nightmare to try to navigate traveling with a CPAP device.
- Anxiety inducing – Some patients feel so constricted by the CPAP mask that they develop a sense of claustrophobia and may even experience symptoms of panic.
If you have tried a CPAP device and determined that it’s not a great fit for you, it’s time to explore alternatives. Other treatment options are available to you, and you deserve to get a full night’s sleep. After all, it’s one of our most basic human needs!
How Expansive Orthodontics Offers A Better Alternative For Sleep Apnea Treatment
Fortunately, you don’t have to put up with sleep apnea if you just can’t get on board with using a CPAP. Airway Health Solutions expansive orthodontics, which combines clear aligner therapy and functional expansion of the jaw, can offer a viable alternative for treatment.
Sometimes, sleep apnea occurs due to jaw or tongue positioning that predisposes a patient to the airway obstructions that cause the apneic episodes. In such cases, Airway Health Solutions can correct a malocclusion, help with proper placement of the tongue, create more space in the jaw and eliminate the conditions that cause sleep apnea.
This approach uses a combination of clear aligner trays and a functional appliance to expand the arch of the jaw. Airway Health Solutions expansive orthodontics eliminate the need for a CPAP device and addresses the root cause of your sleep apnea rather than merely managing your symptoms.
Restful, restorative sleep is the foundation of a healthy body. If sleep apnea is taking away your sense of rejuvenation that we all should feel each and every morning, don’t delay in scheduling your evaluation with our team at Crosspointe Sleep Solutions to learn if expansive orthodontics might be able to help in your case.