Dental Services Offered by Water's Edge Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
What is OSA?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder, which occurs during sleep, due to the narrowing or
total closure of the airway.
OSA
is when the airway becomes completely blocked and breathing stops. The brain then detects the lack of oxygen
and prompts a momentary arousal to draw breath. Although OSA sufferers may experience hundreds of apnea
episodes per night, they are unlikely to remember any of them. In fact, if the sufferer lives alone or sleeps
separately they may not be aware of their condition, even after many years.
Snoring can be a symptom of OSA
and is a noise created by the partial blocking of the airway. When you fall asleep your muscles relax,
including those that control the tongue and throat. The soft tissue at the back of your throat can sag,
narrowing the airway. Incoming air then makes the tissue at the rear roof of the mouth (the soft palate),
the flap of skin hanging from the palate (uvula) and the throat vibrate – a sound we know as snoring.
Snoring is often no greater problem than the noise itself. However, loud snoring may be a sign of a more
serious problem – OSA. To download and print an informational brochure, click here
SomnoMed Sleep Apnea Management Program
Specialized Services for Patients
For Patients
- who would like to find out if they have Obstructive Sleep Apnea,
click here to learn more about screening and to complete an online questionnaire.
- who are seeking an alternative to CPAP treatment to learn more about the effectiveness of an oral appliance
Click here to contact the office for your complimentary
consultation you if are having trouble sleeping through the night and/or
snore!
