Sleep Apnea Therapy

Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing for small increments of time while sleeping. The word “apnea” means “ceasing to breathe.”

You may not realize that you have sleep apnea because it happens while you’re asleep. One warning sign can be chronic snoring. As the muscles in the throat begin to relax the tissues can vibrate with each breath, causing snoring. While snoring doesn’t mean you have sleep apnea, many sleep apnea patients also snore.

The syndrome is more common in men than in women & more common in people who are older or overweight. However, that doesn’t mean that younger fit people are not at risk. If you have symptoms or signs such as snoring or daytime drowsiness even after a full night’s sleep, you should consider getting evaluated by your doctor. Your general practitioner can diagnose sleep apnea, usually by having you undergo a sleep study.

The Vivos System

McConachie Dental offers sleep testing, diagnosis, treatment & long-term management for people suffering from Sleep Disordered Breathing: ranging from snoring & insomnia to sleep apnea.
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Sleep-Disordered Breathing is a general term for breathing difficulties during sleep. It can range from frequent loud snoring to obstructive sleep apnea.
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Even mild intermittent snoring can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea. It is not just a nuisance, it’s unhealthy.
Snoring is caused by airway narrowing when breathing muscles are relaxed. Sleep apnea is when breathing repeatedly stops & starts. Snoring & sleep apnea result in low oxygen to the brain & a lighter lever of sleep, which results in poor health.
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We strictly follow guidelines of the Canadian Thoracic Society & the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Our practice prides itself in the use of safe, convenient & comfortable treatment options. One such is the oral appliance The Vivos System®.

What Is Vivos?
Vivos is for people diagnosed with sleep apnea. It does not involve surgery nor a CPAP machine. Rather, it is an oral device designed to help you sleep better.
Your dentist will conduct an evaluation in order to formulate a customized treatment plan. Vivos® uses a daytime-nighttime appliance system that gradually expands the palate to create enough room in the mouth and airway to allow for comfortable breathing at night.
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Please visit here for more information.

Procedure Overview

While your regular physician is the one who diagnoses sleep apnea & can prescribe treatment, there are also ways that the dentist can help. The most common therapy for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which involves a machine that pumps a constant flow of air into you airways while you wear a mask. As you can imagine, this solution can be uncomfortable & awkward to sleep with & get used to, not to mention the sanitation effort that goes into maintaining a breathing machine at home.

So what does sleep apnea have to do with your dentist? Dentistry has come up with another solution that many patients find more comfortable. Specialized dental appliances that resemble sports mouthguards can keep the lower jaw in a position that prevents the muscles of your tongue & upper throat from collapsing into your airway. Rather than being strapped into a machine, the patient can simply wear a custom-fitted dental appliance. The added benefit of these devices is that they can also prevent snoring, meaning a better night’s rest for your sleep partner too.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, we can work with you & your doctor to come up with a plan for a dental device that will keep you breathing easily through the night.