Treatment for Sleep Apnea in Westwood, KS

We definitely don't want to scare you but we should say that sleep apnea is not something that should be taken lightly. A type of sleep disorder where your breathing starts and stops throughout the night, sleep apnea could have serious effects on your overall health. At Sullivan Family Dental, we can get you back on the right track to great health with our sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment.

Signs of Sleep Apnea

Not sure if you have sleep apnea? It's quite common for someone to be unaware that they have sleep apnea if they're not sure what to look for. These are some of the signs of the sleep condition:

• Loud and/or frequent snoring
• Sore or dry throat when you wake up
• Daytime tiredness
• Morning headaches
• Problems with attention or concentration
• Pauses in breathing while sleeping
• Insomnia

Take-Home Sleep Study

At Sullivan Family Dental, we start the sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment process by giving you WatchPAT, a simple, take-home sleep study. This FDA-approved sleep apnea test is easy to use at home—you just put it on like a watch and it measures arterial volume changes in your fingertip. These changes give information about your nervous system which can be used to accurately test for obstructive sleep apnea. WatchPAT is a much more affordable alternative to a hospital sleep study, also called a polysomnogram.

Once you've finished this sleep evaluation, we have a licensed medical doctor read the results to determine whether or not you have sleep apnea. If you are diagnosed with the condition, we'll move forward with presenting you with your treatment options.

Sleep Apnea FAQs

• Why am I snoring?

  Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but it is one of the most common symptoms of the condition. This is because the sound of snoring is made when there's some sort of obstruction as air moves through your airways and that obstruction is tied to sleep apnea.

• How can a dentist treat sleep apnea?

  You may be wondering what a dentist has to do with treating sleep apnea. Since obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage in the airway, an oral appliance can be used to reposition the jaw and keep that airway clear. Creating that custom oral appliance is exactly where a dental professional comes in!

• What is a dental sleep apnea device?

  A dental sleep apnea device is an oral appliance that's custom-fitted for your mouth and looks similar to a nightguard. It's made in such a way that it moves your lower jaw slightly forward so that the tissues in the back of your throat and your tongue don't block your airway.

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