How Can Your Dentist Assist You in Sleeping Better?
Many people lament their inability to sleep soundly. They are developing insomnia, wake up in the middle of the night, start their day with a splitting headache, or struggle to focus at work and feel exhausted in the early morning.
Overlooking the symptoms, people attribute these issues to their hectic schedules, erratic routines, and long workdays. However, an appointment with the dentist might solve all of these complaints!
Need to Sleep Better?
Many people have sleep difficulties that they are unaware of since they occur at night. Some people grind their teeth, which causes worn-down teeth, fractured teeth, headaches, and other problems.
We offer nightguards or splints to patients with grinding, clenching, or other jaw disorders. TMJ, or “temporomandibular joint” condition, is another issue.
This is the joint that allows your jaws to move on a hinge. Patients suffering from joint dysfunction may experience chronic discomfort.
A dental gadget, on the other hand, can prevent such pain. Bruxism and TMJ are not life-threatening sleep disorders. However, sleep apnoea is. There are millions of people who struggle with sleep apnoea, and many of them go undiagnosed.
Your Dentist Can Help
You may be puzzled why you would visit your dentist for snoring or sleep apnoea. After all, don’t dentists care for your teeth by repairing cavities and assisting their patients to achieve and maintain the smile they’ve always desired?
All of this is correct. Dentists provide their patients preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dental care, but their education and training qualify them as experts in jaw and mouth mechanics. This training not only assists them in diagnosing related conditions such as teeth grinding but also resolves the physical causes of snoring.
You can get the snoring and sleep apnoea treatment you need from a trained and certified dentist.
After reviewing your problem and examining your mouth, teeth, tongue, jaw, and gums, your Canley Heights dentist may send you to a sleep physician who will do a sleep study. Following the determination of the appropriate treatment, you will most likely be given either Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) or a Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS).
A therapy called CPAP employs an air pump and mask to gently pressurise your upper airway to keep it open and allow normal breathing while you sleep.
The CPAP pump draws in air, pressurises it, and then delivers the pressurised air into the throat through the nose and mouth using a tube and mask. The person can breathe normally because the pressurised air keeps the upper airway from collapsing.
A “MAS” is made up of upper and lower connecting plates or mouthguards that are worn while you sleep. Your lower jaw’s angle and position are adjusted, opening your airway as you sleep.
Some people may first suffer sore jaw muscles and teeth, but this normally goes away within a few days.
Splints are simple to maintain because they last up to five years and can be cleaned with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Even those without teeth can utilise MAS.
Talk to Your Canley Heights Dentist
A study found that between one-fourth and one-third of a person’s life is spent sleeping, so there is no reason to jeopardise that time by ignoring symptoms that could pose major health risks.
The next time you experience these symptoms or have breathing problems while you sleep, don’t ignore them; instead, make an appointment with your dentist. Your dentist can advise you on the best course for a restful night’s sleep.
At Canley Heights Dental Care, our dentists are chosen for their experience, compassion for their patients, and dedication to families’ lifelong dental health.
We stay updated on the most recent dental procedures, technologies, and techniques for our patients’ comfort and quickest healing times.
Call us on (02) 9199 9678 or schedule an appointment online.
You can visit us at 1/229 Canley Vale Rd in Canley Heights.