Sleep apnea treatment in Bend–from your dentist? Absolutely! Your dentist is more familiar with your mouth and throat than most medical professionals. We see them at regular intervals, after all. If you snore, wonder about sleep apnea, or have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and have difficulty wearing your CPAP, call us today!
Sleep Apnea Treatment In Bend
So Much More than Simple Snoring
How Sleep Apnea Differs
from Snoring
Who doesn’t like catching some zzzs? If those zs indicate actual snoring, you probably shouldn’t. Sure, everyone snores at one time or another, but chronic, consistent snoring could be a sign of something much more serious. If your bed partner or someone you sleep close to has mentioned that you snore, especially if you gasp and choke during a snoring episode, please talk to us right away.
Sleep apnea is not just snoring. The most dangerous aspect of sleep apnea is when the snoring noises stop–and along with them your breathing! Some people with sleep apnea stop breathing hundreds of times a night!
Here’s the thing: Many people, even right here in Bend, suffer from sleep apnea and never know it. Even if they have bed partners who hear them snore, the fact that something even more serious is happening may not come to light. And that’s a major cause for concern here at Ponderosa Family Dental. It’s why we have invested in training to offer sleep apnea treatment right here in Bend.
Sleep apnea can be life-threatening, and has been linked to:
- Weakened immune system
- Acid reflux
- Low blood oxygen levels
- Excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue
- High blood pressure
- Strokes, including silent or mini-strokes
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart attacks and heart failure
- Worsening ADHD
- Depression
- Dementia
- Diabetes
- Anxiety
- Mood disorders
- Asthma
- Acid reflux
- Weight gain
- Aggravated fibromyalgia
- Headaches
- Tooth damage
Clearly, sleep apnea is nothing to ignore!
Our Bend Sleep Apnea Care
The first step to discovering whether you have sleep apnea or not is simply giving us a call. We can talk about your symptoms, schedule a time for a consultation and exam, and explain the steps we might take to get you diagnosed and properly treated.
- We will manually and visually evaluate your head, neck, mouth, and jaw structure looking for imbalance or irregularities. We may also use our Cone Beam scanner to take a look at your anatomy and see what may be leading to your obstruction.
- To keep things super convenient, we offer take-home sleep studies. That means you can be measured for sleep disturbances such as sleep apnea at home, in your own bed, where measurements will be most accurate. You will not be billed for this service. Instead, we bill your medical insurance.
- Once your sleep study results are entered into the system, a board-certified sleep physician will evaluate the results and confirm or deny the presence of sleep apnea.
- If your sleep apnea is severe, we will refer you to a sleep center or to your own primary care physician for the prescription of a CPAP.
- If your sleep apnea is mild to moderate, or if you know you are unable to tolerate a CPAP device, we can prescribe a custom-made mandibular advancement appliance to hold your jaw in the ideal position and allow you to breathe correctly throughout the night.
If you snore, wake up feeling tired most mornings, and wonder why you feel so bad, please call us right away. Our sleep apnea treatment in Bend can help you start sleeping well and feeling great!