Our Regina general dentists know that sleep is vital to your wellbeing. That's why we offer treatment for sleep disorders, like sleep apnea and snoring.
What is a Sleep Disorder?
Sleep disorders, like sleep apnea and snoring, disrupt your sleep and negatively impact your overall health. There are a variety of sleep disorder treatment options to help keep your breathing regular during sleep and prevent you from waking up frequently, so you can get a better night's rest.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is when your tongue, soft palate and throat tissues over-relax, causing them to collapse into the back of the throat and obstruct your airway. When the flow of oxygen stops, the brain is forced to awaken to consciously resume breathing.
These mini-episodes can occur hundreds of times a night, which prevents you from falling into the deep, restorative sleep necessary to recharge your brain and body.
Signs & Symptoms
If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you may have sleep apnea:
- Trouble focusing
- Heavy snoring
- Headaches & migraines
- Fatigue
- Restless sleep
- Depression
- Irritability
- TMJ symptoms
Snoring
When you fall into deep sleep, your tongue, soft palate and throat tissues fall into a relaxed state. For those who snore, the relaxation of these throat tissues causes the airways to restrict, vibrating and rumbling them as oxygen is forced past. Narrower airways mean heavier snoring since more force is required to breathe.
Sleep Disorder Questionnaire
Are you experiencing any issues with snoring, sleep apnea or using a CPAP machine? Fill out our Sleep Disorder Questionnaire and we will follow up with you with some helpful insights on how to address your issues.
We Would Love to Help
If you suffer from chronic snoring or any other symptoms of sleep apnea, contact Health Style Dental today. Dr. Larson can help you find the right treatment option for you.
Your Qualified Dentist of Sleep Medicine
As a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, Dr. Larson takes a keen interest in helping patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea or have snoring without apnea to explore treatment options for their condition.
In January 2019, Dr. Larson was recognized with the status of Qualified Dentist by the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. Qualified Dentist is conferred on a dentist who has completed the required hours of study in the field of Dental Sleep Medicine and has successfully completed the qualifying examinations.
Treatment Options
Dr. Larson has an Oral Appliance Test system, the MatRx by Zephyr Sleep Technologies. This technology allows Dr. Larson to test a patient with diagnosed Sleep Apnea to determine the ideal position and setting to treat the condition of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Dr. Larson uses specific appliances that are Health Canada and FDA approved and recognized as alternative treatment for sleep apnea by the Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Dr. Larson has a MatRx system which allows a patient with sleep apnea to have a 'trial run' with a customized night oral appliance. This test will give valuable information about the patient's response to using an oral appliance and has been very successful in customizing a treatment for each patient.
The appliance works by moving the lower jaw forward along with the tongue muscles and opens the airway. This improves the flow of breath and prevents you from waking up frequently during the night.