Airway dentistry has become a new and growing field of dentistry, focusing on your mouth’s structure and how it impacts your breathing. Under it, we look for sleep-ordered breathing by checking for the signs of mouth breathing while you are sleeping. The goal of airway dentistry is to prevent sleep apnea and all the related issues that, if not treated, may lead to bigger problems in the future.
What are the Signs of Sleep-Disordered Breathing?
Whether it is sleep apnea or any other sleep-disordered breathing issue, you will experience similar symptoms in these situations. Please do not take them lightly and visit us immediately upon experiencing these symptoms.
- Feeling tired even after enough sleep
- Grogginess throughout the day
- Headache after waking up
- Lack of focus
- Waking up abruptly in the middle of the night
- Heavy breathing
What to Expect?
After experiencing the above-listed symptoms, we will carry out a general dental examination to diagnose the issue when you visit our clinic. We will look for all the oral signs of sleep-disordered breathing during every dental examination to address the concern.
We will also test the patterns of your breathing. In general, such disturbed breathing is caused as a result of the relaxation of muscles in your throat. If you suffer from sleep apnea, your breathing may be partially or completely stopped by the muscles. But if you are suffering from issues like upper airway resistance syndrome, the breathing doesn’t stop but is not normal either.
Both these conditions also impact rapid eye movement or REM sleep. This part of your sleep cycle is used for your brain to relax from the day. If your REM sleep is disturbed, it will lead to issues in your alertness throughout the day.
How is Sleep-Disordered Breathing Treated?
Sleep-disordered breathing may occur in both adults and children. In adults, we use oral appliances like nightguards to treat obstructive sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome.
When sleep disturbance issues are caused in young patients, it leads to many behavioral issues like chronic allergies, bedwetting, behavioral problems, and others. We will evaluate their condition and also check the structure of their jaw and palate and their breathing.
In the most severe cases, we may perform jawbone surgery to treat the problem in both adults and children. Other treatment approaches to this condition include mandibular advancement devices, palatal expander, tongue and lip tie release, and myofunctional therapy.
Looking for a dentist in West Los Angeles, CA? Please reach out to the Dillon-Costantino Dental team in West Los Angeles, CA, to schedule a personalized consultation with Dr. Dillon, Dr. Costantino, Dr. Pomerantz, or Dr. Kemper. We look forward to receiving your call at (310) 475-0617.
