An important part of overall health, sleep wellness can have a far-reaching impact on your well-being and quality of life. Dental sleep medicine focuses on the use of oral appliance therapy to treat sleep-disordered breathing, including snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Working with sleep physicians, Dr. Bhatia will identify the best treatment plan to improve your sleep wellness.
Please contact Dr. Bhatia’s office to schedule a consultation to discuss how to improve your sleep wellness.
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Snoring should always be treated as a warning sign and should never be ignored, as it could also be an indicator of sleep apnea, a condition that can actually cause you to momentarily stop breathing while asleep.
Snoring and sleep apnea can interfere with the ability to get a good night’s rest and are often treated by mouthpieces, breathing devices and in serious cases, surgery. Caused by narrowing or blocking of the airway, snoring disrupts airflow, causing the soft palate and tissues of the throat to vibrate. The narrower the airway becomes, the louder the snoring. Sleep apnea is a disorder which causes one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Arrested or shallow breathing that is caused by sleep apnea can cause shifts from deep sleep to light sleep, which reduces the overall quality of sleep and causes ongoing sleep disruption.
Lifestyle changes such as weight loss, smoking cessation, clearing nasal passages can be helpful in reducing snoring and sleep apnea.
Dr. Bhatia can also assist with improving your overall sleep wellness through the use of orthodontic treatment or oral appliance therapy. Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) can be an effective alternative to CPAP for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Bhatia can create a custom-fitted oral appliance for you to wear when you are sleeping. The appliance provides relief from snoring or sleep apnea by positioning the lower jaw and tongue in a way that minimizes airway obstruction.
If you have any questions about our services, please contact us today at (808) 638-3078.
