Hidden Dangers of Sleep Apnea

Snoring may seem comical, but obstructive sleep apnea is no joke. It can increase your risk of high blood pressure and diabetes – and even make you more dangerous on the road. Although sleep apnea has many dangers, we’ll discuss a few. At Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center, scheduling a consultation is the first step in treating this sleep disorder.

Obstructive sleep apnea can contribute to high blood pressure in people who have it. The frequent nighttime awakenings that plague people with sleep apnea cause hormonal systems to go into overdrive, which results in high blood pressure levels at night. People with obstructive sleep apnea are also more likely to suffer heart attacks and die in the middle of the night. The causes may be low oxygen or the stress of waking up often during sleep. Weight gain plays another role in the hidden dangers of sleep apnea. Adding weight raises your risk of sleep apnea, and up to two-thirds of people with sleep apnea are severely overweight. Obstructive sleep apnea can often be cured if you lose enough weight, but that can be tough to do.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, schedule a consultation with us to discuss your treatment options. For more information about the services we provide at the office, visit www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, call 215-279-1193.

Sleep Apnea Defined

Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax, and central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Here at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center, we may suggest oral surgery to assist with sleep apnea, depending on the severity of the condition, but we always explore non-invasive options first.

When obstructive sleep apnea occurs, the muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in, and you can’t get an adequate breath in. Your brain senses this inability to breathe and briefly rouses you from sleep so you can reopen your airway. You may make a snorting, choking or gasping sound. When central sleep apnea occurs, you may awaken with shortness of breath or have a difficult time getting to sleep or staying asleep. Like with obstructive sleep apnea, snoring and daytime sleepiness can occur. Regardless of the type you have, it’s best to explore your treatment options.

If you sleep apnea is a concern of yours, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, call 215-279-1193.

Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition that should not be ignored. In order to help our patients breathe easy at night, at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, we treat sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is dangerous because a patient can stop breathing throughout the night ten times or a hundred times. It leads to increase risk of heart failure, stroke, liver problems, are more. It also leads to daily daytime fatigue.

In our Philadelphia, PA office, we have several surgical options to solve sleep apnea. An uvulopalatopharyngoplasty is a procedure we perform that removes excess tissue from the soft palate and the throat. Another option is maxillomandibular advancement, which moves the whole jaw forward and creates more room in the back of the throat. When these procedures do not work, we can perform a tracheostomy. In this procedure, we insert a tube in the throat that is open for breathing during sleep and closed during the day.

Sleep apnea is a problem that needs to be addressed. If you are suffering, schedule an appointment at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA. To schedule, call our office at (215) 279-1193 or visit our website, www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com. 

Treatment for Sleep Apnea in Philadelphia, PA

While sleeping, for some, tissue in the throat can block the air passage and cause sleep apnea. When untreated, sleep apnea can be dangerous and cause harm to many of the body’s systems. The doctors here at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA provide several surgical procedures to improve breathing throughout the night and control sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea can cause a person to stop breathing from a range of a few times per night to hundreds of times per night. This causes loud snoring and disrupted sleep. Due to the lack of oxygen and sleep, sleep apnea can result in higher risks of heart failure, heart disease, stroke, and liver problems.

Here at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center, we can help solve sleep apnea and introduce a safe, restful night of sleep for our patients suffering from the complications. There are three surgical procedures we perform. The first is an uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a procedure that removes excess tissue from the upper throat and mouth. The second procedure, called maxillomandibular advancement, moves the jaw forward, creating more room behind the soft palate. When these treatments do not work to solve sleep apnea, a tracheostomy may be performed. A tube is inserted through the neck for breathing at night. It can be covered during the day and only used when needed; while sleeping.

If you are suffering with sleep apnea, do not hesitate to schedule a consultation with us here at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA. Call us at (215) 279-1193 or visit our website, www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com.