If You Snore Frequently and Loudly, You May Be Suffering from Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea afflicts more than one in five adults, though 90% don’t even know they have it, despite its main symptom being loud snoring.

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Sleep Apnea Los Angeles

If You Snore Frequently and Loudly, You May Be Suffering from Sleep Apnea

If your partner has complained about how often you snore, keeping her or him awake, you may have a serious disorder called sleep apnea. An apnea is a pause in the breath while sleeping, which can occur up to 100 times an hour without awakening the person who suffers from this. This disruption, however, has serious consequences–and Wilshire Smile Studio is an expert in treating sleep apnea.

Typically, the person who has this is overweight and the apneas occur while he or she is sleeping on the back. This most common form of the problem is known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) because excess tissue in the mouth, including the tongue, have fallen back as the muscles relax, blocking the airway. The brain recognizes there is a lack of oxygen and reacts by trying to wake up the individual, but consciousness is rarely gained before deep breathing continues and then the disruptions usually keep reoccurring.

The result is that when the individual awakens fully in the morning, they often have migraines and headaches throughout the day. They also either have feeling of having cotton in the mouth or a dry one from breathing through their mouths to get more oxygen (because saliva fights oral bacteria, this endangers their dental health). Other symptoms of OSA include irritability, depression, and anxiety that cannot be accounted for by other circumstances in life.

Most importantly, he or she is very, very tired, in fact, dangerously so, because many deadly accidents occur every year as those with OSA try to drive to work. In the office, they find it almost impossible to stay awake during meetings and have a loss of concentration and memory.

Fortunately, we can prevent this by creating a personalized, FDA-approved oral appliance to be worn while you are sleeping, which comfortably adjusts the position of the jaw to keep the airway open. If you have symptoms of sleep apnea, call Wilshire Smile Studio today to set an appointment for a full dental exam and discussion about whether you have OSA and how it can be prevented.

What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep-related breathing disorder that causes a person to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep. These pauses in breathing can happen dozens of times each night, often without the person realizing it.

The most common type is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which occurs when the muscles and soft tissues in the throat relax and block the airway during sleep. When the airway becomes partially or completely blocked, oxygen levels drop and the brain briefly wakes the body to restart breathing. This cycle can continue throughout the night, preventing deep, restorative sleep.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea:

Loud or chronic snoring
Gasping or choking during sleep
Excessive daytime fatigue
Morning headaches
Difficulty concentrating or memory problems
Dry mouth upon waking
Irritability or mood changes
Poor quality sleep

Why Sleep Apnea Matters

High blood pressure
Heart disease
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Depression and anxiety
Increased risk of accidents caused by daytime drowsiness

CPAP Therapy: The Gold Standard
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is considered the most effective treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea. CPAP uses gentle air pressure to keep the airway open during sleep.
However, many patients struggle with CPAP therapy due to discomfort, mask leakage, dry mouth, noise, claustrophobia, or difficulty sleeping while wearing the device. As a result, many people stop using their CPAP machine consistently.

An Alternative for CPAP-Intolerant Patients
For patients who cannot tolerate CPAP therapy, a custom oral appliance may provide an effective alternative. These appliances are designed and provided by specially trained dentists and work by gently repositioning the jaw to help keep the airway open during sleep.
Oral appliance therapy is comfortable, portable, quiet, and easy to wear, making it a popular option for patients seeking a more convenient solution for managing sleep apnea.

Signs of Sleep Apnea

Insomnia.
Frequent need to urinate during the night.
Obesity and inability to lose weight.
Migraine headaches in the morning.
Waking with a “choking” sensation, “cotton mouth,” or a sore throat.

Inability to concentrate and poor memory.
Drowsiness during the day.
Depression, anxiety, or irritability.
Reduced reaction time.

Treat Sleep Apnea

Obstructed Airway

While we sleep, gravity and muscle relaxation allows the tongue and surrounding soft tissue to fall back into the throat area, collapsing the airway and obstructing the air flow.

Open Airway Therapy

Custom-fit by a dentist, Oral Appliance oral devices treat OSA by moving the lower jaw slightly forward. This forward movement keeps the airway open, preventing apneas.

Oral Appliance Oral Device

Continuous Open Airway Therapy (COAT)® is a category of products that treat patients seeking an easy, efficient solution for OSA, or obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea can also be a factor in the risk for diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease, erectile dysfunction, and lowered sex drive. It impairs driving ability and is a major cause of car accidents.

How Can We Help Patients with Sleep Apnea?
At our practice, we help patients who struggle with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), especially those who are unable to tolerate CPAP therapy. While CPAP remains the gold standard for treating sleep apnea, many patients find it difficult to use consistently due to discomfort, mask issues, noise, or interrupted sleep. That’s where oral appliance therapy can help.

A Comfortable Alternative to CPAP
We provide custom-made oral appliances designed specifically for patients diagnosed with sleep apnea. These small, comfortable devices are worn during sleep and work by gently repositioning the lower jaw and tongue to help keep the airway open throughout the night.

Unlike bulky CPAP machines, oral appliances are:

Quiet and easy to wear
Compact and travel-friendly
Comfortable for most patients
Easy to maintain
Non-invasive and convenient

Personalized Treatment from a Qualified Dentist or Oral Surgeon
Only a trained dentist and Oral Surgeons can properly design, fit, and adjust an oral appliance for sleep apnea treatment. We work closely with your physician and sleep specialist to ensure your therapy is safe, effective, and customized to your needs.

Our process typically includes:

Reviewing your sleep study and diagnosis
Evaluating your airway, jaw, and oral health
Creating a custom oral appliance
Making adjustments to maximize comfort and effectiveness
Monitoring your progress and long-term results

Better Sleep, Better Health
Effective treatment for sleep apnea can improve both sleep quality and overall health.

Many patients experience:

Reduced snoring
Improved energy levels
Better focus and concentration
More restful sleep
Improved quality of life for both patients and their partners

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and cannot tolerate CPAP therapy, oral appliance therapy may be the solution you’ve been looking for.

The body’s reaction to both types is to get more oxygen by partially waking up and gasping for air. The sufferer goes back to sleep briefly, unaware of what happened.

The conventional medical treatment is wearing a device called a CPAP with a mask, which would require you to lie on your back all night and is not easily tolerated by most patients.

Fortunately, Wilshire Smile Studio has experts who can provide you with a much more comfortable and less expensive alternative. Every sufferer can benefit from a dental appliance that is a custom-made, FDA-approved type of treatment which helps keep the jaw in a position to prevent apneas. This is may be covered by some insurance plans.