Sleep Apnea Treatment in Egg Harbor Township
Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person pauses breathing or has abnormal decreases in breathing while asleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. These episodes can happen a few times per hour. It can be much more frequent and even be over 100 events per hour. Snoring is a medical condition caused by the abnormal vibration of something blocking or restricting airflow in your airway. It is often confused with choking and is considered a precursor or sign of Sleep Apnea.
These events arouse the brain from REM sleep and prevent the body from fully resting, sometimes even exhausted, resulting in poor memory and lack of concentration. Often, sleep apnea is misdiagnosed as ADD or ADHD.
Each time an event occurs, the brain is essentially suffocating for oxygen. This causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure because the body is fighting for air. This commonly leads to high blood pressure in people, which can be difficult to control even with medications. This significantly increases a person’s chance of having a stroke, heart disease, poor memory loss, reflux, brain damage, and even death.
There are also things called Hypopnea, which is a drop in oxygen, but they are not as severe or as long as an apneic event. They can still cause many of the same problems.
Dental symptoms are prevalent. Dentists will notice a scalloped tongue, dry mouth, teeth grinding, tooth erosion, and TMJ problems. This happens because, in this state of panic, people move their stomachs in unnatural ways to breathe and grind their teeth, resulting in gastric reflux.
One of the most dangerous side effects is the effect on the brain and body organs. The brain is deprived of oxygen, which results in memory problems and even brain damage, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Daytime sleepiness and confusion are other significant symptoms and have been linked to automobile accidents.
It is commonly thought that being overweight causes sleep apnea. While being overweight does make things worse, it is not the sole cause of apnea. The more critical factor is the size of the airway and airway muscle tone. People with low muscle tone and soft tissue around the airway are at risk, especially if they are obese.
Phayrygometer
The Eccovision® Acoustic Pharyngometer allows users to quickly and easily measure a patient’s pharyngeal airway size and stability from the Oral Pharyngeal Junction to the Glottis.
The Pharyngometer graphically displays the relationship between the airway’s cross-sectional area and the distance down the airway in centimeters.
Studies have shown a clear relationship between OSA and a narrow, collapsible airway. The Pharyngometer accomplishes these measurements using acoustic reflection technology, similar to a ship’s sonar.
Sound waves are projected down the airway and reflected so the Pharyngometer software can analyze and quantify changes in the airway’s cross-sectional area. The test is minimally invasive and takes 2-5 minutes to complete.
Sleep Disorders Dentists use the Pharyngometer to screen patients before diagnosis. A narrow airway reading on the pharyngometer correlates to higher apnea and hypopnea indices once the person is diagnosed. After diagnosis, the pharyngometer helps to show us how the airway changes in response to mandibular advancement. It has been concluded that the pharyngometer was accurate in ruling out patients who would not benefit from oral appliances 95% of the time.
Data from Pharyngometer & Rhinometer tests is displayed on an easy-to-read graph.
Childhood Development
Definitions Chart
Schedule your visit with our dentists in Egg Harbor Township, NJ and take the first step toward a healthier smile.
