Sleep Apnea
Dental Sleep Medicine
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the soft tissue in a person's throat repeatedly collapses and blocks the airway 
during sleep. These partial reductions and complete pauses in breathing typically last between 10 and 30 seconds, but can persist for one minute or longer. These pauses can happen hundreds of times a night, leading to abrupt reductions in blood oxygen levels. The brain alerts the body to its lack of oxygen, causing a brief arousal from sleep that restores normal breathing. The result is a fragmented quality of sleep that often leads to excessive daytime sleepiness. Most people with OSA snore loudly and frequently, with periods of silence when airflow is reduced or blocked. They then make choking, snorting or gasping sounds when their airway reopens.
If left untreated, OSA has been linked to the following: Excessive daytime sleepiness, driving and work-related accidents, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, obesity, depression, memory loss, morning headaches, irritability, decreased sex drive, and impaired concentration.
Custom made oral appliances reposition the tongue and lower jaw forward during sleep to maintain an open airway. Dentists
trained in dental sleep medicine know how to select, fabricate, fit, and adjust these devices, which look like mouth guards, to help patients breathe freely during sleep. Follow-up visits and post-adjustment sleep studies help dentists determine if oral appliance therapy is effectively treating their patients' sleep apnea.
Oral Appliance Therapy is indicated for mild to moderate OSA patients if they prefer it to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), the standard treatment therapy, cannot tolerate CPAP, or are unable to use positional therapy or weight loss to control their apnea. Oral appliances are also recommended for severe OSA patients if they cannot tolerate CPAP (up to 50% of people). Patients with severe OSA should always try CPAP before considering oral appliance therapy.