Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes brief, repeated interruptions to your breathing during sleep. While the link between sleep apnea and the health of your mouth may not be obvious, there’s a strong connection.
How does sleep apnea affect my dental or oral health?
Sleep apnea can cause several troubling changes to your body, including your mouth. In addition to causing some people to snore loudly, it’s associated with severe gum disease (periodontitis) and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which causes pain in your jaws and the surrounding muscles.
During sleep apnea episodes, the throat relaxes, and the jaw naturally closes, which can block your airway. Treatment for sleep apnea can also cause TMJ, which can lead to other issues such as:
Teeth that are broken, cracked, or worn
Chronic headaches
Pain while chewing
Shoulder and neck pain
How your dentist can help
Sleep apnea is a common disorder. Dentists see symptoms of the condition in their patients all the time. Your dentist may be the first health care professional to see signs of sleep apnea in your body, which is one of the many reasons regular dental exams are important.
If you have mild sleep apnea, your dentist can make a custom mouth guard or retainer-like device to push your tongue and lower jaw forward while you sleep. This device offers you a more comfortable, less costly alternative to surgery or from having to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which is bulky and difficult to take with you when you travel.
If you have sleep apnea, your dentist can work with you and other health care providers to help you maintain good dental and oral health.