You may have sleep apnea if you’re having trouble sleeping due to difficulty breathing during the night. Sleep apnea is a chronic condition where your breathing stops and restarts as you’re sleeping due to an obstruction of your airways by mouth tissues. Loud snoring is a common sleep apnea symptom. You may also wake up gasping for air off and on during the night, leaving you feeling tired and fatigued in the morning. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to chronic sleeplessness, physical weakness, headaches, irritability, and other negative symptoms. At High Forest Dental, Littleton, Colorado, we recommend oral appliance therapy to help resolve sleep apnea symptoms so you can get the sleep you need. 

About Oral Appliance Therapy

Oral appliance therapy makes use of oral appliances to improve your breathing at night so you can get adequate sleep. When worn, these appliances reposition your tongue or jaw in such a way that your airways remain open so you can breathe freely as you sleep. By conducting a study of your sleep, Dr. Allison Brown can determine if sleep apnea is the cause of your sleeplessness. If so, we can customize an oral appliance for your use. 

Types of Oral Appliances for Therapy   

Sleep apnea appliances fall into one of two categories: Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs) and Tongue-Retaining Devices (TRDs). The former works by shifting your lower jaw slightly forward to keep your air passage open as you sleep. The latter restrains your tongue so it doesn’t collapse into the back of your throat and block your airways when you sleep. 

Mouth guards for sleep apnea are compact oral appliances that can correct your jaw position or restrain your tongue, depending on your need. For proper fitting and function, we recommend having sleep apnea mouth guards custom-made for your use. Custom-fitted mouth guards work best in reducing symptoms of mild to moderate sleep apnea issues so you can get a good night’s sleep. For severe sleep apnea, a CPAP machine may be more effective in treating your condition.

Reasons to Consider Oral Appliance Therapy

If you’re troubled by sleep apnea symptoms, here are some good reasons to consider oral appliance therapy.

Convenience – Oral appliance therapy offers a practical, affordable means of managing your sleep apnea symptoms, making it a convenient option for treating this condition. 

Discreet – Sleep apnea mouth guards are compact oral appliances that can be worn comfortably and discreetly, even when you travel. They’re easy to use, fit anywhere in your baggage, and require no electricity or special conditions.

Versatile – Oral appliances can often help manage symptoms of other conditions like bruxism, jaw clenching, or TMJ pain while improving your breathing. 

Oral Appliance Therapy Near Me

To learn more about oral appliance therapy or to have a sleep apnea mouth guard customized for your use, contact Dr. Allison Brown from High Forest Dental, Littleton, CO, at (303) 951-3717. 

We look forward to meeting your dental care needs.

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