Sleep Apnea Therapy – Bonita Springs, FL
Lasting Solutions for Peaceful Sleep
Life is too short to feel exhausted all the time! If you can never seem to get enough sleep and have been told you snore every night, then you may be one of the millions of Americans suffering from sleep apnea. Thankfully, Dr. Melanie Pugh and our team offer a proven method for helping patients dealing with this disorder—oral appliance therapy. A small mouthguard might be all you need to start getting the rest you deserve! To learn more, contact us today to schedule a consultation.
Why Choose Melanie Pugh, DMD, PA for Sleep Apnea Therapy?
- Custom-Made Sleep Appliances for Every Patient
- Proven Conservative Alternative to CPAP Therapy
- Honest Team That Always Puts Your Needs First
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder where a person experiences frequent pauses in breathing during the night. Most often, this is due to the tissues in the mouth and throat coming together and blocking the airway, which is known as obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. Once the body realizes that it’s not getting any oxygen, it partially wakes up to restore regular breathing. These episodes can last for up to 10 seconds and happen up to a hundred times an hour, preventing someone from ever reaching the deeper, restorative stages of sleep.
Dangers of Sleep Apnea
In addition to making someone feel chronically exhausted, sleep apnea is also extremely stressful on the cardiovascular system, particularly the heart. When breathing has been cut off, the brain panics, so the heart overexerts itself to push the limited amount of oxygenated blood throughout the body. This causes someone’s blood pressure to skyrocket, and it can remain elevated for several hours, even after a person wakes up. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the leading risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Studies have shown that untreated sleep apnea can increase someone’s risk of heart failure by as much as 140%!
Excessive Snoring
One of the most common, and telling, symptoms of sleep apnea is loud, chronic snoring. This usually occurs right before someone’s throat is fully blocked as the passing air causes the nearby tissues to vibrate. While snoring does not always indicate sleep apnea, if a person also exhibits other symptoms (chronic exhaustion, mood swings, memory issues), then they should definitely receive a sleep apnea screening. Those who snore all the time are also more likely to develop sleep apnea in the future.
Oral Appliance Therapy
The most popular form of sleep apnea treatment involves wearing a CPAP machine to bed, but many patients find that this method causes more problems than it solves! Thankfully, our practice can provide patients with custom-made sleep appliances. These mouthguards gently shift the jaw into a more forward position, which prevents the airway from closing during the night, allowing someone to breathe normally and sleep deeply. This approach is conservative, effective, and easy to use whether you’re at home or on the road, which can’t be said for CPAP therapy!
Partnered with Sleep Physicians
If you think you might have sleep apnea, or if you’ve already been diagnosed with it, and you would be interested in trying oral appliance therapy, then our team is more than ready to help. We’re partnered with several trusted sleep physicians in Bonita Springs and beyond, meaning we can help patients get the attention they need and then follow-up to ensure their appliance is actually working. Thanks to our experience, we can make the entire process smooth and easy from beginning to end, ensuring you’ll be sleeping like a baby before you know it!