Snoring Treatment

Rochester, Rochester Hills, Oakland Township and surrounding areas of Michigan

Snoring is quite a common occurrence, and at Rochester Advanced Dentistry in Rochester, MI, we offer dental treatments for it. Snoring is not necessarily a problem. It can be annoying and can interfere with sleep, especially the sleep of anyone within hearing distance.

But snoring can be a sign of a worse problem.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

OSA is a sleep disorder marked by upper airway obstruction, and snoring can be either a symptom of it, or a cause. If snoring is treated before OSA develops, you may be able to avoid the potentially serious consequences of OSA.

What is sleep apnea?
Apnea means “without breath”. A person with OSA stops breathing routinely during sleep, which disturbs their normal sleep cycle. The apnea is defined as continuing for at least 10 seconds, at least five times per hour. If you often feel tired during the day for no apparent reason, it might be an idea to get tested for OSA. The testing is done with a polysomnogram (meaning roughly “multiple sleep measurements”) and is done in a sleep laboratory, usually at night, while you sleep.

Obstruction can occur as a partial collapse of the throat tissues, or as a total obstruction of the airway. Apnea increases the CO2 blood levels and decreases the O2 levels, as if you were under water and couldn’t breathe.

Research has shown that about 4% to 5% of Americans have some degree of OSA, although not all are being treated for it. Most people are unaware of having it, since they have no memory of repeated nocturnal awakening when they awaken in the morning. Most OSA sufferers are overweight with a thick, short neck. Some have normal weight and a receding jaw smaller than average.

Long term/serious side effects of OSA

• High blood pressure
• Thickening of the heart muscle
• Lack of oxygen in the blood
• Disruption of the heartbeat rhythm
• Memory loss
• Mental confusion
• Intellectual deterioration
• Concentration problems
• Reduced sex drive/impotence
• Irritability
• Personality changes
• Inability to stay awake during the day
• Extreme fatigue
• Headaches/migraines
• Heartburn
• Weight gain
• Frequent nocturnal urination

Dental snoring treatments

If your snoring doesn’t require medical intervention, but is relatively mild, we can give you a plastic dental appliance to help with it. You would wear this device in your mouth at night, and it will prevent the jaw and tongue from falling back into the air passages. That will keep your airway more open so you can breathe freely and regularly all night.

Your device would be custom made to fit you and would require no dental work or surgery. Please contact us for a consultation if you would like more information.

Fearful of dental visits? Rochester Advanced Dentistry offers Sedation Dentistry for a relaxing dental experience.

Dr. Doolin and Dr. Haddad can help you escape the disruptive effects of snoring with customized and comfortable dental appliances. We’ve helped hundreds of people in Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, and Oakland, Macomb and Shelby Townships, MI finally get the peaceful night’s sleep they need. Call or email Rochester Advanced Dentistry today for your free snoring evaluation.

All people featured on this website are actual cosmetic patients of Dr. Doolin and Dr. Haddad.