Sleep Apnea

 

Over 8 million adults in the United States have sleep apnea. If you’re dealing with sleep apnea, dentist Joseph Kim, DDS, and the qualified dental professionals of Smile Plant Dental have the solutions. Smile Plant Dental offers patient education, intraoral devices and nightguards, and more to help you gain better control over your condition. You deserve refreshing sleep that can enhance your quality of life. Please call Smile Plant Dental to book your future appointment.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a health condition where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during your sleep. Sleep apnea can prevent you from reaching the deeper and more beneficial stages of your sleep cycle.

If you don’t have sufficient air supply, it can decrease the amount of oxygen present in your blood. Your brain quickly wakes you from your sleep so you can open your airway.

Different types of sleep apnea can affect people of all ages.

What causes sleep apnea?

It isn’t always clear what causes sleep apnea and various factors might play a role, such as:

  • A narrowed airway

  • Sedatives and alcohol

  • Aging

  • Obesity

  • Nasal congestion and allergies

  • Smoking

Sleep apnea happens more commonly in men.

How is sleep apnea diagnosed?

At Smile Plant Dental, we work closely with your physicians and sleep specialists to treat snoring and sleep apnea. You’ll need to have a diagnosis from a sleep center in order for Dr. Kim to work with you and your insurance to give you the most beneficial personalized treatment for sleep apnea.

During your visit to Smile Plant Dental, you will have a complete clinical evaluation that involves a thorough examination of your teeth, tongue, jaw, and airway, and any additional necessary testing, such as digital x-rays.

How is sleep apnea treated?

Smile Plant Dental provides several treatments to help manage sleep apnea, including effective intraoral devices and patient education to help you improve your lifestyle.  Most intraoral devices fit into your mouth like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer and it supports your jaw in a forward position to help you maintain an open upper airway.

Smile Plant Dental customizes the intraoral device using digital or physical impressions or models of your teeth. The models are typically sent to a special dental lab, where a highly qualified lab technician constructs your appliance. Upon returning to Smile Plant Dental, you’ll need follow-up visits to determine how your treatment is working.

Don’t stay stuck for solutions for sleep apnea when the friendly team at Smile Plant Dental is here to help.