Dentistry Treatments
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
A new segment of dentistry is being developed with regards to a disorder that affects between 2 and 4% of adult women and 4 to 9% of men: the snore and obtrusive sleep apnea. So far, these disorders have gathered only medical attention – yet the dentistry expertise provided new insights with the intra-oral devices (mandibular advancement splints), which must be prescribed and deployed by only dentists.
The obtrusive sleep apnea is the complete obstruction of the respiratory system due to orofaringe crumple, soft palate and back of the tongue, which usually takes ten seconds, and happens between five to ten times per hour during the sleep time of people who suffer from this. Hyperpnoea, on the other hand, is a partial obstruction which blocks at least 50% of the air passage, on every occurrence during the sleep time. When the tonus of the orofaringe tissues and tongue decreases, they tend to approximate, blocking the air passage.
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Snoring and sleep apnea generate not only social and psychological traumas, but also physical disorders. Patients who suffer from these disorders have three times more risk to suffer from hypertension, cardiac dysrhythmia, and heart attack (myocardial infarction). In addition, the daytime drowsiness and lack of focus (due to sleep deprivation at night) increase by seven times the chances of having a car accident or problems at work.
In order to increase the professional’s quality of life, the Dr. Veit Dentistry & Health Clinic offers intra-oral devices (mandibular advancement splints), especially prescribed to light or moderate sleep apnea cases on retrognathic patients. It is not recommended for people who are overweigthed.