What Is a Sleep Medicine Dentist?
If you’ve been suffering from a lack of sleep that’s been affecting you for weeks, months, or years, you may be desperate to find a solution. Perhaps you’ve tried all of the common suggestions—establishing a good bedtime routine, having a cup of soothing tea or warm milk before bed, perhaps even using over-the-counter sleep aids. What you likely haven’t considered, though, is working with a sleep medicine dentist. If your lack of sleep or sound sleep is being caused by sleep apnea—one of the most common sleep disorders—working with a sleep medicine dentist could yield very positive results.
What Is a Sleep Medicine Dentist?
A sleep medicine dentist is a trained, certified dentist who works in collaboration with physicians who specialize in sleep medicine and sleep treatment. For many physicians, regular sleep therapy options aren’t effective; the physician may refer their patient to a sleep medicine dentist if this is the case and the patient has sleep apnea. A sleep medicine dentist specializes in using customized oral appliances to treat sleep conditions, such as sleep apnea.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders. When a person suffers from sleep apnea, that individual has periods where the body and brain are robbed of oxygen due to airway closure not allowing air to pass into the lungs over and over throughout the night. This is a dangerous condition that is associated with long-term, serious health impacts like diabetes, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack and stroke. In addition to the long-term consequences of sleep apnea, a person who suffers from sleep apnea is likely to wake feeling groggy, irritable, and not well-rested. It is also common for those who have sleep apnea to be loud snorers, which can be disturbing to partners who share a bed.
Sleep Medicine Dentists and Sleep Apnea
A sleep medicine dentist can help to treat sleep apnea. The first part of the process will be getting a correct diagnosis. A condition such as sleep apnea should be diagnosed by a licensed physician, but the sleep medicine dentist plays a vital role of screening and use of home sleep tests to gather raw data that a sleep physician can use to create a diagnosis. If, in fact, a diagnosis of sleep apnea is made and the level of the apnea is found to be mild or moderate, your sleep medicine dentist can fit you for an oral appliance to keep the airway open during sleep effectively limiting the sleep apnea and its horribly damaging effects.
Get Help Today
If you are suffering from sleep apnea or suspect that you may have sleep apnea, working with a sleep medicine dentist could help. To learn more about our sleep medicine dentists at Distinctive Dental Solutions, call our team directly today.
