Tag Archives: mouthguard

Sleep Apnea Snoring is a Bigger Problem than Just Snoring

Posted by Genny Skrobanek on June 28, 2022

Have you ever nudged your partner in bed because they were snoring up a storm? Turns out, loud snoring could be a sign of sleep apnea – a very common problem in American adults. In fact, millions of Americans deal with snoring while sleeping. Of course, not all snorers have sleep apnea, but it’s also a great warning sign to get checked out.

Learn more about Snoring from The Mayo Clinic

Is it Sleep Apnea or Just Snoring?

It helps to do your research and know the difference between normal snoring and sleep apnea snoring.

Regular Snoring

Snoring happens because the tissues in the throat relax and partially block the airway. Then the tissues vibrate, causing the snoring sound we all know. Your anatomy and lifestyle factors, like alcohol consumption and weight, can determine the way you snore.

Sleep Apnea Snoring

Often, frequent and loud snoring is a major indicator of sleep apnea. When you experience sleep apnea snoring, your body takes multiple breathing pauses or shallow breaths during sleep. If someone with sleep apnea falls asleep, they could experience breathing pauses up to 10 seconds or even up to a minute. Obesity, large tonsils, or large tongues can also be contributing causes of sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

You can also look for other signs and symptoms of sleep apnea that include:

Morning headaches
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Sore throat when wakening
Restless sleep
Choking or gasping at night
Chest pain at night
High blood pressure
Disruptive snoring
Poor attention span

Sleep Apnea Treatments can Protect Your Health

It’s so important to talk with your dentist and your doctor to determine treatment for sleep apnea and sleep apnea snoring. Sleep apnea treatments range from oral appliances, nasal strips, breathing machines, and even surgery, and it’s important not to underestimate the risks of leaving sleep apnea untreated. Many health complications, such as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and more, can arise due to sleep apnea. Talk to Dr. Skrobanek and the GPS Dental team about treatment options for sleep apnea and sleep apnea snoring. Ask if oral appliance therapy might be the right solution for you.

GPS Dental Can Help

Research shows that oral appliance therapy, or wearing a mouth guard while you sleep, is an effective treatment option for sleep apnea snoring. More than 100 oral appliances have received FDA clearance and Dr. Skrobanek will recommend the device that is best for you. Oral appliance therapy is also covered by many medical insurance plans.

Related Article:

GPS Dental can Protect Your Smile

Now you know more about how mouthguards protect your smile and your health! It’s also important to stay up to date on your cleanings and routine visits with Dr. Skrobanek. In the meantime, having a strong and steady oral health routine – brushing twice a day and flossing once – is the best thing you can do for your oral health!

Don’t let Sleep Apnea compromise your health, call us today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Skrobanek at 210-633-3477.

Dr. Gary P. Skrobanek and his experienced, friendly team at GPS Dental offer affordable family dentistry and gentle dental care in the San Antonio, TX area. Our Brooks City Base dentist office is conveniently located and offers early morning appointment times Monday through Friday to meet your needs. At GPS Dental, we provide most dental services, from family and general dentistry to dental implants, sleep apnea, TMJ / TMD Treatment, cosmetic dentistry and much more. We accept most dental insurance plans and offer affordable financial solutions for any budget. Call us at (210) 633-3477 to make an appointment.

It’s More than Snoring: Sleep Apnea Can Compromise Your Health

Posted by Genny Skrobanek on March 8, 2022

If you’ve experienced a terrible night of sleep, only getting a couple hours of rest, you know how frustrated, irritable, and tired you feel that next day. Although coffee can be our savior during these days, nothing can really replace a good amount of sleep.

While you may think you’re getting a full night’s rest while dealing with sleep apnea, the truth is, you’re constantly running on fumes – just like those nights without much sleep. Although your body may have gotten used to the effects of dealing with sleep apnea, the long-term effects are important to know … Sleep Apnea can compromise your health. Let’s dive deeper into sleep apnea; what it is, what you can do, and what to watch for.

Learn more about Sleep Apnea from WebMD.

Sleep Apnea Explained

Sleep apnea causes disturbances in your sleeping pattern. It can cause you to wake up hundreds of times throughout the night. It’s also extremely common in the U.S., with over 25 million adults suffering from this chronic condition. According to sleepapnea.org, Sleep apnea occurs in about 3% of normal weight individuals but affects over 20% of obese people. In general, sleep apnea affects men more than women. However, sleep apnea rates increase sharply in women after menopause.”

Learn more HERE.

While sleep apnea is often associated with snoring, it’s important to know that not all snoring is a result of sleep apnea.

People with sleep apnea often:

Snore louder than people with regular snoring
Are restless
Pause while they breathe
Take shallow breaths
Choke or gasp

There are three main types of sleep apnea:

Obstructive: This is the most common type and happens when your airway is obstructed, muscular.
Central: This is not muscular, but happens because the brain is not telling your muscles to breathe – it is a central nervous system issue.
Complex: When someone has both issues – central and obstructive.

Long-Term Symptoms

Sleep apnea can compromise your health, make you tired, give you dry mouth, increase anxiety, give you headaches, and more. Long-term symptoms of sleep apnea become even more serious and include:

High blood pressure
Diabetes
Stroke
Depression
Heart Disease

GPS Dental Can Help!

Oral appliances, or mouth guards, are extremely helpful for sleep apnea and snoring. This mouth guard is worn only while you sleep and fits like an orthodontic retainer. These oral appliances support your jaw, to help maintain an open upper airway even as your muscles relax.

More than 100 oral appliances have received FDA clearance and Dr. Skrobanek will recommend the device that is best for you. Talk to Dr. Skrobanek and the GPS Dental team about treatment options for sleep apnea and snoring. Ask if oral appliance therapy might be the right solution for you. Get help today to improve your sleep and your health! Learn more HERE.

Learn about additional treatment options in this article by Cleveland Clinic.

GPS Dental AND Mouthguards Protect Your Smile

Now you know more about how mouthguards protect your smile! It’s also important to stay up to date on your cleanings and routine visits with Dr. Skrobanek. In the meantime, having a strong and steady oral health routine – brushing twice a day and flossing once – is the best thing you can do for your oral health!

Don’t let Sleep Apnea compromise your health, call us today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Skrobanek at 210-633-3477.

Sleep Apnea Affects Immune System: Is Your Immune System at Risk?

Posted by Genny Skrobanek on June 23, 2021

Let’s talk about how sleep apnea affects immune system … Are you going to bed every night, but waking up feeling cranky, tired, and drowsy? You may not be getting as much sleep as you think you are, and you definitely aren’t alone. Approximately 25 million adults in the U.S. suffer from this chronic condition.

Sleep Apnea is an extremely common problem that makes it very difficult to get a healthy amount of sleep at night. When we don’t get enough sleep, our entire body suffers for it and our immune system can also be at risk.

Sleep apnea explained HERE by The Mayo Clinic.

Effects on the Body

When we do sleep well, our body releases proteins called cytokines. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Certain cytokines need to increase when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you’re under stress. Sleep deprivation may decrease production of these protective cytokines. In addition, infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when you don’t get enough sleep.”

Common symptoms of sleep apnea often include:

Irritability
Headaches
Tiredness
Trouble paying attention/focus
Sore throat in the mornings
Dry mouth

Related Article: Sleep Apnea Symptoms: Can it be treated?

How Sleep Apnea Works

Sleep apnea causes your breathing to pause while sleeping. Repeated breathing pauses occur when your muscles relax while sleeping, as soft tissue collapses and blocks the airway and reduces your oxygen levels. When this happens, your body’s natural reaction is to wake up so you can resume breathing normally.

So, when we’re waking up throughout the night due to breathing interruptions, you’ll be left feeling tired the next day. However, sleep apnea can cause more than just tiredness and irritability. If left untreated, sleep apnea affects immune system issues and has been linked to cause problems, such as:

Autoimmune diseases
Heart disease
Diabetes
Stroke
High blood pressure
Acid reflux
Erectile dysfunction
Other long-term health risks

Related Articles:

Learn More about the link between autoimmune diseases and sleep apnea HERE.

GPS Dental Can Help

Research does show that using an oral appliance, or mouthguard, is a helpful and effective treatment for sleep apnea. Your mouth guard only has to be worn when sleeping, and will support your jaw and open up your airway to stop any breathing interruptions.

At GPS Dental, we have helped many patients suffering from sleep apnea for several years now and look to continue doing so as the annual number of sleep apnea suffers within the U.S. continues to increase. If this sounds like you, come see us here at GPS Dental as by visiting our offices, Dr. Skrobanek can assess your sleep apnea and determine if the MAD appliance is right for you!

Many dental insurance companies cover mouth guards, and it’s a wonderful option for keeping your immune system healthy and getting a good night’s rest. Learn about Sleep Apnea Treatment in San Antonio.

Related Article: Sleep Apnea Treatment in San Antonio

Read more sleep apnea blogs by GPS Dental.

Dr. Gary P. Skrobanek’s experienced and friendly team at GPS Dental offers family dentistry for all ages in San Antonio, TX area. Our Brooks City Base dentist office is conveniently located and offers early morning appointment times Monday through Friday to meet your needs. At GPS Dental, we promote dental health awareness to our patients and provide most dental services, from family and general dentistry to dental implants, sleep apnea, TMJ / TMD Treatment, cosmetic dentistry and much more. We accept most dental insurance plans and offer affordable financial solutions for any budget. Call us at 210-633-3477 to make an appointment.

Wake UP, Gary!! Go Put in Your Mouthguard!!

Posted by Genny Skrobanek on July 11, 2017

Have you ever had a night like that? Your dream turns into an unsettling adventure on a freight train. Only to be jolted awake and realize that it’s your husband snoring and the sound of the freight train is their snoring? Maybe he needs a mouthguard!

The reality of the situation is that HE isn’t getting a good night sleep either! Most likely Sleep Apenea is to blame. Sleep Apnea causes you to temporarily stop breathing during sleep and snoring is the side effect. These disturbances in your sleep can occur repeatedly and result in restless sleep and daytime drowsiness. Long term, Sleep Apnea can cause serious health issues including increased blood pressure and the restriction of oxygen to your brain and your blood stream.

Now what? Dr. Gary Skrobanek at GPS Dental can help you BOTH get a good night sleep!

Will a Mouthguard will work?

By scheduling an initial consultation with Dr. Skrobanek and explaining your situation, he can work with you to recommend a dental appliance or mouthguard to wear at night that will alleviate the issue. A simple dental exam is all that needs to be done to figure out if you are a candidate for this treatment.

If so, Dr. Skrobanek can have a custom mouthguard made that fits over your maxilla and mandible (upper and lower jaw). The upper device hooks into the lower portion and enables the mandible to be pulled forward. You will be show how to use the dial mechanism to adjust the degree that the jaw needs to be held in a forward position so that it doesn’t fall open during the night causing your airway to collapse. By holding the mandible forward, the appliance (mouthguard) maintains a clear airway that improves breathing while you sleep and reduces snoring!

For more advanced cases of Sleep Apnea, a CPAP machine is the most effective treatment method; however, studies show that half of all CPAP patients cannot tolerate this type of therapy. Using a mouthguard type device is much less invasive and far more comfortable.

Benefits of a Mouthguard:

Alleviate Sleep Apnea without the need for surgery, a mask, or medication
Improve Sleep
Reduce Snoring
Easy to Use
Comfortable, Custom Fit
Durable

What Causes Snoring?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, snoring is a problem that affects approximately 90 million Americans. Needless to say, many couples are going through the issue of one person being a very loud snorer.

Snoring is caused by the muscles in your throat and your tongue relaxing too much while sleeping, which causes the throat to become more narrow. The air going in and out of the throat then causes the characteristic sound of snoring. Snoring becomes more serious with age and is more common in overweight individuals and males.

Sweet Dreams…

Mouthguards or oral appliance therapy is covered by many medical insurance plans so this may come at little to no out-of-pocket cost to you. We’re happy to contact your dental insurance provider for you and have payment options available.

Give us a call and schedule your appointment today, so you AND your husband can get a good night sleep!

Dr. Gary P. Skrobanek and his experienced, friendly team at GPS Dental offer affordable family dentistry and gentle dental care in the San Antonio, TX area. Our office is conveniently located and offers early morning appointment times Monday through Friday to meet your needs. At GPS Dental, we provide most dental services, from family and general dentistry to dental implants, sleep apnea, TMJ / TMD Treatment, cosmetic dentistry and much more. We accept most dental insurance plans and offer affordable financial solutions for any budget. Call us at (210) 633-3477 to make an appointment.