Sleep Better and Healthier with Sleep Apnea Therapy

Has a loved one complained that you snore at night? Snoring could be more than a mere annoyance – it could be a symptom of a much bigger problem. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when soft tissues in the mouth relax during sleep, blocking the smooth passage of air and stopping your breathing for long pauses. Over time, sleep apnea seriously degrades your quality of life, leaving you feeling chronic fatigue, but the problem can be even worse: sleep apnea can lead to health complications including stroke, heart attack, and even death.

It is estimated that over 60% of men and 40% of women over age 40 snore and as many as 20 million people in North America suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. More than 90% of obstructive sleep apnea patients do NOT know they have it. Factors that affect obstructive sleep apnea include:

  • Age
  • Obesity
  • Other serious health conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, and fibromyalgia
  • Alcohol use
  • Sedative hypnotics (sleeping pills)

Children can also snore and suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Often they are highly allergic and their airway is blocked due to enlarged adenoids, tonsils, or swollen nasal mucosa. Clinical signs that might indicate obstructive sleep apnea include a turned up nose, allergic shiners under the eyes, mucous draining out of the nose, mouth breathing, and a nasal sound to the voice. Other signs are bedwetting, irritability, difficulty in concentrating at school, and hyperactivity. Many times treatment for children is as simple as a referral to the ENT for appropriate treatment of the blocked airway.

If you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, Dr. Kristy Rowe can help with sleep apnea appliance therapy. In 2006, the American Association of Sleep Medicine recommended that the first line of defense for treating mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnea should be the use of an oral appliance. These oral appliances also offer an excellent alternative for those patients that are CPAP intolerant -- finally an alternative is available!

The gold standard for treatment of severe sleep apnea is presently the CPAP machine. However, only a minority of CPAP owners are still compliant after one year. If you are one of the non-compliant because you are CPAP intolerant, we can fabricate an oral appliance that will help open your airway and reduce the severity of your sleep apnea.

Some of the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, fatigue, GERD, irritability, excessive daytime sleepiness, forgetfulness, awakening feeling unrefreshed, difficulty concentrating, decreased sex drive, nighttime choking spells, insomnia, fragmented sleep, morning headaches, and gasping causing you to wake up. If you are currently experiencing any of these symptoms, we want to invite you in for a FREE SLEEP SCREENING!

In our office, we treat snoring and sleep apnea with a unique approach. For example, we can provide you with a home monitor (sleep test) to help you (and us) assess whether or not sleep apnea should be a concern. We have partnered with a sleep physician to provide you (and us) with the appropriate diagnosis. Sleep apnea therapy usually involves the wearing of an intraoral appliance during sleep to leave space for unobstructed breathing. We will custom create your appliance to fit comfortably and allow you to breathe easier by holding the lower jaw forward and open, preventing the tongue and throat tissues from collapsing into your airway. There is a 90% success rate for snoring people treated with these appliances. These appliances reduce sleep apnea associated health risks without the need for surgery, medications, or other therapies. Many times your medical insurance will pay for you to have an obstructive sleep apnea appliance made!

A good night's sleep plays a big role in a healthy lifestyle, so don't let sleep apnea get in the way of your restful evenings. Under diagnosed and frequently dismissed simply as harmless yet annoying snoring, obstructive sleep apnea is a dangerous condition, please have a sleep study done to rule out this potentially fatal condition.

Rowe and Rowe Smile Studio brightens the smiles and lives of patients from all parts of northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri, including Jonesboro, Paragould, Blytheville, Batesville, Forrest City, Caruthersville, and beyond, offering comprehensive smile design services to overcome every oral health and dental care problem. Are you looking for dental care in Jonesboro, Little Rock, Memphis, Tennessee, or Kennett, Missouri? Contact Rowe and Rowe Smile Studio, where you can discover the healthy, stunning smile of your dreams!