Sleep Apnea Treatment in Cincinnati, OH
If you suffer from chronic snoring, visit Bell Dental Group to find out if our custom oral appliances can help!
Snoring robs you and your loved ones of restful sleep, which increases fatigue during the day and negatively impacts overall health. While snoring can be a primary problem, it can also be a sign of the more serious health condition called obstructive sleep apnea. To help keep you well-rested and healthy, we offer custom oral appliances to treat primary snoring as well as obstructive sleep apnea. Our care can allow you to:
Dr. Charles Bell on Sleep Apnea
Read Transcript
Sleep apnea is a situation where we're really starting to understand how prevalent of a problem it is. Fifteen years ago, your sleep apnea patient was typically a man, 50 years old, who could lose 50 pounds, that was kind of the standard back then. Now we're finding that has absolutely very little predictive value. We've treated patients that are little 90-pound gymnasts who have sleep apnea. But it's much more prevalent than we think. We're also finding that there are a lot of health issues that are related to sleep apnea that we had no idea. So it's become a very important thing for people to get diagnosed and to get treated. Because left untreated there can be some significant health issues, cardiac issues, blood pressure issues, a lot of things that can go on, and just lifestyle quality. I've had patients that are truck drivers and they literally have to get tested for sleep apnea before they can work for the company, because they're afraid these guys are going to fall asleep at the wheel. It's pretty impressive how treatment can help.
Dentists, what we can do, we're an alternative to CPAP, which is kind of the most common thing that you think of with sleep apnea, which is basically a machine that forces air down the pipe so you get more oxygenation. The mouthguards we can make, the oral appliances, I should call them, actually position your jaw to open the airway more, so that your normal flow, given the larger opening, you can be resolved that way, as opposed to accepting the opening that you have and forcing more air down. For a lot of people with mild to moderate apnea, these sleep appliances work very well. The compliance on CPAP is very poor, it's kind of an uncomfortable thing to go through, and a lot of people sleep it over in the corner and don't do it.
- Get a full night of quality sleep without disturbance
- Wake up feeling more rested
- Be more alert and productive during your workday
- Snore less so you and your bed partner both sleep better
Call us today to get sleep apnea relief: 513-802-9440. You’ll find us at 2767 Erie Ave. in the Hyde Park area.
Our Comfortable, Custom Solutions Alleviate Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Doctor Maggie Ernst on Sleep Apnea
Read Transcript
So sleep is something that I sort of found as a niche in this practice. Sleep is important for everyone's overall health. I think, especially lately, more people have understood how important getting good sleep is, and how that's related to every system in your body. With that, I've been trained to treat obstructive sleep apnea with what's called an oral device. Basically with sleep apnea, you have your airways closing periodically throughout the night and you stop breathing. So what that does is it obviously wakes you up so you can reopen your airway. It's also cutting off that oxygen from the rest of your body. Some people can use what's called a CPAP for that to fix the situation, but most people find that very uncomfortable, and they sleep worse when they have that on, just because it can be fairly claustrophobic. With an oral device, I basically take molds of your upper, and lower teeth and your bite, and we make you the device that pulls your lower jaw forward. What that does is it pulls your tongue forward, which kind of tightens up that musculature of the airway so that it won't collapse at night. And what's great with this is it usually is more comfortable than a CPAP. It's easier to travel with, and it's making sure that you're getting the oxygen that you need throughout the night.
Sleep apnea is a disorder that interrupts normal breathing during sleep. In more serious cases, patients may stop breathing hundreds of times a night. There are two types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when the tissues of your throat collapse and cause a complete or partial closing of your airway during sleep.
- Central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain fails to signal normal breathing.
If you have obstructive sleep apnea, a CPAP machine may have been recommended to you. CPAP machines help limit episodes where breathing stops overnight by delivering pressured air to your airways. This pressured air can overcome the complete or partial closing of your airway during sleep, allowing breathing to continue without waking you up. While CPAP machines are a main treatment for sleep apnea, many patients find them uncomfortable and awkward.
A custom oral appliance can also limit episodes where breathing stops overnight. While a CPAP machine uses pressurized air, our custom oral appliances shift the position of your jaw forward to open and stabilize the airway. These appliances can sometimes be used instead of a CPAP machine and are typically more comfortable and easier to wear. In cases where a CPAP is still required, an oral appliance may allow more comfortable settings when worn in combination with a CPAP device.
Dr. Ernst has expanded her practice to include the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with custom oral appliances. She has completed extensive training with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. She would love to discuss your options for treating snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea.
Be on the Lookout For Common Sleep Apnea Symptoms
For professional help with sleep apnea, you should visit the team at Bell Dental Group. We will assist you with finding a sleep study center and then help you determine the best treatment options. For your reference, here are some common sleep apnea symptoms:
- Frequent migraines or headaches, especially in the
morning - Chronic snoring
- Suddenly waking up to the feeling of choking or gasping
- Frequently waking with a sore or dry throat
- Sleepiness or inability to focus during the day
- Forgetfulness
Start sleeping soundly with Cincinnati sleep apnea treatment from Bell Dental Group. Call us today at 513-802-9440. You can also contact us online about sleep apnea or to schedule your next regular checkup.