Airway Dentistry in Shady Spring and Lochgelly WV
When you think of visiting the dentist, it's mostly to cure or correct dental-related issues, but little did you know that your dentist can also help with sleep disorders and breathing issues. Improvement in dental care has made airway dentistry an integral part of dental treatments, giving many dentists the chance to correct issues relating to sleep disorders and breathing.
Now, you may wonder what airway dentistry is and how it affects oral health. Our dental team will walk you through the process, practice, and reasons why we offer airway dentistry in Shady Spring and Lochgelly.
Airway dentistry focuses on studying the mouth's structure and how it affects breathing. Our Shady Spring and Lochgelly dentists, Dr. Ben Hiener, Dr. Travis Wills, Dr. Kristie Hiener, Dr. Skylar Poe, and Dr. Meadows check for signs of sleep-disordered breathing by examining how you breathe while you sleep.
As a professional airway dentist, factors such as tooth wear, tongue posture, and the condition of the soft tissue in the mouth can tell us a lot. The aim of offering airway dentistry services to our patients is to avoid sleep apnea, which can cause more serious problems in the future. Hence, if you already have sleep apnea, it’s time to stop it with airway dentistry.
Signs to Know If You Are a Candidate for Airway Dentistry
Sleep disorder occurs in various forms. However, certain common symptoms can signal if you have these disorders and need the help of an airway dentist. They include:
- Feeling exhausted despite sleeping for eight hours
- Fatigue during the day
- Headaches when you first wake up
- Unable to concentrate
- Snoring
- Waking suddenly in the middle of the night and gasping for air
Another warning sign is if your spouse reports that you've been snoring loudly and keeping them up at night. If you've been experiencing these symptoms, schedule a consultation with our airway dentist.
What to Expect From Our Airway Dental Procedure
Airway dentistry may not be the reason for your visit, but a general dental examination may reveal problems associated with sleep disorders. At Shady Spring Dental Care, we provide a comprehensive dentistry service, so every time you get a dental exam, our dentist will look for any symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing.
Usually, the relaxation of the throat muscles results in breathing disorders during sleep. These muscles entirely halt breathing in patients with sleep apnea. Certain illnesses, such as Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS), alter regular respiratory patterns but do not cause breathing to stop.
Sleep apnea and UARS affect Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, and among all the crucial phases of the sleep cycle, REM is the most important. Your brain uses REM sleep to repair itself after a long day. It can seriously affect your ability to stay active during the day if it is disturbed every night.
Once our dentist detects these symptoms or if you contact us about experiencing them, we will design a treatment plan to help you address these issues before they become complicated.
Airway Dentistry in Shady Spring Dental Care
At Shady Spring Dental Care, we provide a customized approach to airway dentistry. We can help you resolve airway issues by wearing an oral device to keep the airway open while you sleep. However, we have more sophisticated therapies and treatments available if you have more severe symptoms. We aim to provide you with the necessary solution. To get started, give us a call or make an online appointment!