Dan Mannikko, DDS | Reno/Tahoe’s Neuromuscular, TMJ, and Cosmetic Dentist.
Snoring occurs when the airway or passage through which we breathe becomes partially blocked or occluded. An example would be a tongue that falls back as we drift into a deeper sleep. As the jaw drops back, the size of the airway is reduced, resulting in a muffled sound secondary to vibrations in the throat, or snoring. This compromise may be minor and the body can continue to get adequate amounts of oxygen with little or no harm. However, snoring could be a red flag as one of the early signs or a part of a condition called sleep apnea.
Nearly all sleep apnea sufferers snore in between bouts of apnea, or oxygen intake interruption. A sleep study should be done to determine the seriousness of the condition. Sleep apneics often have tumultuous nights, without realizing what’s really happening. Often, these apneic events can occur anywhere from 30-50 times, and in some cases 60-100 times per hour! These individuals often awake exhausted or may not even notice because fatigue becomes the norm. Sleep should be a replenishing event for all of us, so if you suspect you have sleep apnea, you should know that it is very treatable, and Dr. Mannikko can help you.
Common side effects of sleep apnea patients:
- Heart attacks or irregular heart beats
- Impotence
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Heartburn
- Gastroesophageal reflux (gerd)
- Depression
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Decreased libido
- Impaired concentration
- Dry mouth
- Daytime sleepiness
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a simple test can be taken to grade your sleepiness.
People most likely to have or develop sleep apnea include those we’ve mentioned already who snore; those who are also overweight; and those who have high blood pressure. Some people have physical abnormalities in the nose, throat, or other parts of the upper airway (above the throat) creating an anatomically smaller airway. Symptoms associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) include drooling, dry mouth, sleep restlessness, witnessed apneas, choking or gasping and sweating.
The gold standard for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea at present is the CPAP machine. However, only a minority of CPAP users are still compliant after one year. If you are one of the non-compliant, we can often make an oral sleep appliance that will help open your airway and reduce the severity of your sleep apnea. These appliances reduce sleep apnea-associated health risks without the need for surgery, medications or other therapies. The custom oral appliance worn while sleeping holds the lower jaw more forward and open, preventing the tongue and throat tissues from collapsing the airway. There is a 96% success rate (snoring) for people treated with these appliances. There are many different types of oral appliances, each with differing features to fit the varying circumstances of the individual affected by sleep apnea.
Notes on Obstructive Sleep Apnea from field experts
John Remmers, M. D
Harvard Trained Physician who coined the term “ Obstuctive Sleep Apnea” (OSA)
- Sleep apnea will be the most common chronic disease in industrialized countries. 17% of the general population of the U.S. suffer from OSA.
- 65-80% of stroke suffers have OSA.
- 1/3 of people with coronary artery disease have OSA.
- Structural narrowing of the pharynx plays a critical role in most, if not all cases of OSA. This is due to the upper/lower jaws being recessed in the face. OSA would not exist if the upper/lower jaws were ideally placed in the face.
David Gozal, MD
Faculty University of Louisville
- 7-13% of all preschool children snore.
- OSA present is 2-3% of all preschoolers.
- Snoring is not normal and should never occur.
- OSA in children you may not be able to reverse.
- Systemic inflammation is increased with OSA and platelets are more likely to adhere accelerating the process of athlersclerosis.
- In a 1998 study of poorly-performing first graders, the incidence of OSA was 6-9 times more frequent that a normal group.
- OSA is responsible for a 10-point drop in IQ.
Kent Smith D.D.S.
Sleep Medicine specialist
- Obese patient is 7.1 times more likely to have a heart attack (MI) than a healthy person.
- Hypertensive patient is 7.8 times more likely to have a heart attack (MI) than a healthy person.
- Smoker is 11.1 times more likely to have heart attack (MI) than a healthy person.
- OSA patient is 23.3 times more likely to have heart attack (MI) that healthy person.
Brendan Stack, Jr., M.D.
ENT Specialist, University of Arkansas
- 60-80% of snorers will test positive for OSA with polysomnogram (sleep study).
- Untreated OSA results in a 20% reduction in life expectancy.
Steven Olmos DMD
Director of TMJ Sleep Centres
- Scalloping of tongue is 70 predictive of OSA.
- 90% of OSA sufferers have hypertension.
- 40% of adults over 40 in the U.S. snore.
