Apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing—or instances of abnormally low breathing—during sleep. Each pause may last from a few seconds to whole minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times (or more) in an hour.
Quick Facts
- Three types exist: central (CSA), obstructive (OSA), and complex/mixed sleep apnea.
- OSA is breathing interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort.
- 84% of sleep apnea is OSA — the most common form.
- Sufferers are rarely aware of breathing difficulty; episodes are usually noticed by a partner.
- Obesity, low muscle tone, and excess soft tissue around the airway heighten OSA risk.
- Research links OSA to tissue loss in memory-related brain regions.
Symptoms of sleep apnea
Daytime sleepiness or fatigue, snoring, restless sleep, waking with a dry mouth or sore throat, and nighttime teeth grinding (1 in 4 OSA patients).
Treatment options
Lifestyle changes (weight loss, avoiding alcohol/muscle relaxants, quitting smoking); custom oral appliances to keep the airway open; CPAP therapy; surgical procedures to widen the airway.
How is sleep apnea related to your mouth?
Patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea who use oral appliances at night show significant symptom reduction — they sleep better and snore less. Oral appliances can also improve airflow in some severe cases and have a higher compliance rate than CPAP. At Tran’s Dental, we screen for sleep-disordered breathing and can craft custom oral appliances.