Sleep Apnea Treatment in Rapid City

Wilson Park Dental provides sleep apnea treatment in Rapid City, SD. Call 605-343-9352 or contact us today to learn more and schedule an appointment.

Obstructive sleep apnea is an ongoing condition that disrupts sleep. Patients with this disorder experience one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. The sleep disruption caused by sleep apnea can negatively impact your quality of sleep, leaving you tired and irritable. If not treated it can affect your overall health and wellbeing.

Getting treatment for sleep apnea has a variety of benefits: 

• Feel less tired. If you go to bed at a decent time and get a reasonable amount of sleep, yet still feel tired, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. Once you treat the condition, you’ll find that you are less tired in the morning and throughout the day. 

• Have more energy. Lack of energy is another symptom of sleep apnea. After treatment patients find that they have more lasting energy than they did before treatment. 

• Experience better health. Sleep apnea is linked to a variety of health problems, especially cardiovascular diseases. Through sleep apnea treatment you will feel better and experience better overall health than if the condition was left untreated. 

• Avoid disturbing your partner. One of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea is snoring. It can also cause you to toss and turn. Both of these symptoms can disturb your partner, which means they are also lacking quality sleep. Treatment allows both of you to get better quality sleep at night without having to sleep in separate rooms. 

There are a few different ways to treat sleep apnea: 

• Sleep positioning. Changing your sleeping position, such as sleeping on your side, can reduce your sleep apnea symptoms. Using specialized pillows and sleep positioners can help you stay on your side without rolling over. 

• CPAP machine. For moderate to severe sleep apnea, a breathing device called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is one option for treatment. It consists of a mask that fits over your mouth and/or nose and gently blows air into your throat. This air pressure helps keep your airway open while you sleep.

• Oral appliance. Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) is often an effective alternative to CPAP for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Many patients are able to find relief using a custom oral appliance to adjust the position of the lower jaw and tongue during sleep. Our office can create a personalized oral appliance for you to wear during sleep in order to maintain an open, unobstructed airway.

Quality, restorative sleep is important for your health and wellness. If you’ve ever been told that you snore, especially if you snore loudly and often, you may suffer from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can go without treatment, but over time it has negative effects on your health. We can help evaluate if you need further testing to diagnose sleep apnea.

We recommend that patients see us for sleep apnea treatment especially if traditional CPAP has not worked. We can fabricate an oral appliance that is a compact, simple solution to help relieve your symptoms. Some patients may have severe sleep apnea that can only be treated with a CPAP machine, but many other patients find relief from the alternative. It is our goal to help you find the most effective, most preferable treatment for you that you will actually use.

The direct cause is the collapse of the soft tissues of the mouth and throat that slide back to block your airway. This can happen to anyone, but it is more common in patients who are overweight.

We custom make your oral appliance so that it fits your teeth and mouth as comfortably as possible. It may take a few nights to get used to, but once you do and you see how much better you feel, you’ll never want to sleep without it.

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to a variety of health issues and in rare cases it can be fatal. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common health problem associated with sleep apnea, but there are other risks such as falling asleep at the wheel.

To learn more, call 605-343-9352 or contact us today to schedule an appointment.