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ORTHOSES: SLEEP APNEA

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME (OSAS)

Micro-awakenings at night can be a sign of sleep apnea with respiratory obstruction. If you are affected, consult quickly to get back to a peaceful sleep!

DURING SLEEP

  • Do you usually snore?
  • Do you wake up with a start or feel like you are suffocating?
  • Have those around you noticed any respiratory arrests?

WAKE UP

  • Do you wake up tired in the morning?
  • Do you feel sleepy or lacking in energy?
  • Do you suffer from headaches?
  • Do you have trouble concentrating?

YOUR HEALTH

  • Are you overweight?
  • Do you suffer from high blood pressure?
  • Do you experience mood swings, irritability?
  • Are you being monitored for high blood pressure?
  • Do you have heart problems?

If you suffer from several of these symptoms, do not hesitate to talk to your practitioner.

Indeed, clinical research shows a close link between Sleep Apnea Syndrome and other serious chronic pathologies such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

 

GOOD TO KNOW

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome affects between 5 and 15% of the adult population, depending on age.

A pathology that is increasingly better detected and treated!

If you suffer from such symptoms, it will be advisable to first record your sleep using a device that you will use at home.

If apnea is confirmed, you can wear a custom-made night guard, after taking an impression at the dental office.

This device, called a ‘Mandibular Advancement Orthosis’, allows the mandible (lower jaw) to be held forward in order to clear the airways and facilitate the passage of air during sleep. Sleep apnea management will generally be done in collaboration with other specialist doctors, pulmonologists and ENT specialists.

SLEEP APNEA: TREATMENT WITH DENTAL SPLINTS

Sleep apnea or OSA is defined by the repetition of complete or partial respiratory obstructions during the patient's sleep.

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME

In the case of OSA, the sleeper, without necessarily realizing it, has brief and frequent awakenings which lead to a decrease in the quality of his sleep as well as various problems:

  • Daytime drowsiness, particularly dangerous for drivers of vehicles or machines.
  • Lack of energy, fatigue during exercise, etc.
  • Serious pathologies such as hypertension or cardiovascular disorders can also be linked to sleep apnea.

One of the treatments considered is the nighttime wearing of a specific dental splint.

 

Ortheses 2

MANDIBULAR ADVANCEMENT ORTHOSIS OR MAO

This is a medical device that is placed in the mouth at night. The principle of the device is to keep the lower jaw in a slightly forward position in order to free the posterior airways. The increase in the passage of air then allows for better ventilation.

The device is most often made up of two small gutters resting totally or partially on the upper and lower jaws.

  • To make an orthosis adapted to your dental arches, an assessment of the jaw and oral cavity is carried out to check that there are no contraindications.
  • Then impressions are taken to determine the exact shape of the teeth and the relationship between the two jaws.
  • Once the device is made, the progressive adjustments necessary for its proper adjustment and your comfort are made, in conjunction with the sleep specialist if necessary.

An average of three appointments, 10-15 days apart, should be expected.

 

USE

  • The device must be placed in the mouth before going to sleep.
  • An adaptation period of one to three weeks is to be expected.
  • The sensation of slight pressure on the teeth should not worry you.
  • The device is cleaned with a brush

 

FOLLOW-UP

  • Regular monitoring is essential to check that there are no side effects on the teeth or jaw.
  • Appointments and check-ups with the sleep specialist are also to be expected.
  • If the apnea index increases over time, it is possible that the device, effective at the beginning of the treatment, will be less so later.

If problems arise, the treatment will then have to be modified or changed.

 

TO KNOW

This device is more readily used for mild or moderate cases of snoring or OSA.

Orthoses are an alternative to another treatment, CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). They are mostly well tolerated.

ORTHOSES: ANTI-SNORING

SNORING
Snoring, restless sleep, nocturnal breathing disorders, drowsiness... These signs may indicate sleep apnea. Are you affected?

 

WARNING SIGNALS

Snoring is caused by a vibration of the soft palate and the walls of the pharynx (throat) when air passes through.

But we talk about apnea when the throat muscles contract too much, preventing air from passing freely.

Such an event can last several seconds and occur many times a night (up to several hundred).

While snoring, due to its auditory nuisance, is mainly annoying for those close to you, apnea can cause serious health problems. Indeed, sleep is disturbed (brief awakenings after each apnea) without the patient necessarily being aware of it.

In severe cases, lack of oxygenation of the heart or brain can lead to chronic pathologies such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, obesity

 

 

Ortheses

DAILY LIFE

Certain factors can cause or increase snoring and sleep apnea:

  • Consumption of substances such as tobacco, alcohol, sedatives, etc.
  • Position of the sleeper (sleeping on the side rather than on the back).

 

TREATMENTS

After examination and discussion with the patient, the specialist (dentist, pulmonologist, sleep specialist) will first request a sleep recording. It will be carried out at home or, in some cases, at the hospital.

Once sleep apnea has been confirmed, various treatments are offered by the prescribing physician:

  • Mandibular Advancement Device or MAD (custom-made device made with your dentist and worn in the mouth during sleep).
  • Nighttime wearing of a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) breathing device.
  • ENT treatment (different types of surgery).

 

TO KNOW

The management of OSA is based on the age, risk factors and motivation of the patient.

The Belcenia Dental Center uses French-made "narval" orthoses.

Learn more: www.narval.com