Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep. Snoring, the sounds made when sleeping, is a separate sleep disorder often associated with sleep apnea. The consequences of these sleep disorders if left untreated include cardiovascular disease, heart failure, stroke, high blood pressure and premature death.

Accurate diagnosis of your precise sleep disorder is necessary prior to personalized prescription of any dental appliance for the treatment of sleep apnea. This process begins with an overnight sleep study (polysomnography) performed under the direction of a sleep physician who will discuss the findings with you and make appropriate treatment recommendations, which may include a dental appliance. 

Signs of poor sleep:

● grinding 

● snoring

● dry mouth in morning 

● early morning headaches 

● muscle soreness 

● excessive daytime fatigue

Common signs of airway issues/poor sleep in children:

● ADHD 

● Bed wetting 

● night terrors 

● excessive grinding 

● mouth breathing 

● snoring

● frequent ear infections