Treatment for Sleep Apnea Part 2 – Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Encino, Tarzana, Chatsworth, Calabasas, Studio City, Sherman Oaks

Sleep apnea, though it is a potentially deadly disease, is largely undiagnosed and untreated in those who suffer from it. The disorder involves interruptions in your regular breathing patterns while you sleep. This causes interrupted sleep. You may feel like you get a full night’s sleep every night simply because you don’t remember being woken up over and over as you try to restart breathing. There are numerous treatment options for this disorder. Some of these treatments are very mild and some very radical. Depending upon the severity of your apnea and the causes of it, some may yield better results than others.

It’s important to understand the role of obesity in this disorder when discussing treatments. When you’re overweight, your body stores some of your fat in your neck. This compounds the cause of the most common cause of sleep apnea: obstruction of the airway by the soft tissues at the back of the throat. If you’re overweight, you’re doctor will likely recommend that you drop some weight before anything else. In many cases, this can provide marked relief from obstructive sleep apnea. If the cause is related to the structure of your throat, the treatment options are different.

The least radical type of treatment is the use of a dental appliance. These include tongue retaining devices and mandibular repositioning devices. The latter is usually more comfortable than the former. In either case, these appliances work by keeping the soft tissue at the back of the throat from collapsing and obstructing the airway during sleep. These forms of treatment are among the most convenient as the devices can be taken anywhere and are relatively simple to use. These devices are recommended by a sleep physician and constructed and fitted by a qualified dentist. They can provide effective relief for mild to moderate sleep apnea.

If you’re sleep apnea is more severe, your doctor may recommend a nasal continuous positive air pressure machine. These maintain the correct flow of air through the throat throughout the night. They are also bulky, inconvenient and are poorly tolerated by some patients. They are, however, the standard treatment for very severe cases of sleep apnea and offer excellent results. If sleep apnea becomes more troublesome and dangerous, the treatments tend to become more radical in nature, progressing to various types of surgery.

In young people, the adenoids, tonsils and some of the tissue at the back of the throat can be removed to provide relief. The results of these surgeries are generally good, though the long-term effects are not fully understood. In general, young people will have better results than older people with these surgeries. For those whose sleep apnea is specifically a result of their being overweight, doctors may recommend weight-reduction surgeries as an option; and in the most severe cases, a tracheostomy. In this surgery, a hole is cut in the throat to enable free breathing. It is covered during the day to permit normal breathing and speech for the patient.

To learn more about Sleep Apnea treatments and to find out if they are right for you, contact Smile Studio LA at 818-788-1352 today for a free consultation!