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Are you always sleepy and tired? Do you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness? At Dr. James E. Johnson DDS, & Associates P.C, we have the expertise in treating sleep apnea, which is a leading cause of daytime sleepiness.

Please call us at (202) 783-3368 to schedule an appointment with your orthodontist at Dr. James E. Johnson DDS, & Associates P.C. to get an evaluation to see if you are suffering from sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder in which you experience one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.

These breathing pauses can last for few seconds to few minutes. The frequency of this occurrence can be about five to thirty times in an hour.

Typically, after this pause in breathing, normal breathing starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

If you are suffering from sleep apnea, it can generally disrupt your sleep three or more nights in a week.

Types of Sleep Apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

OSA is the most common type of sleep apnea. It is caused by a breathing obstruction, which stops the airflow in the nose and mouth. National Institute of Health estimated that more than 12 million American adults have obstructive sleep apnea

Causes of OSA

Obesity: About 50% of patients suffering from Sleep Apnea are overweight. This also indicates that you need not be obese to suffer from Sleep Apnea.
Physical Conditions: Large tonsils or adenoids as well as other conditions such as deviated septum, shape of head and neck, receding chin, enlarged tongue etc that may hinder the free passage of air.
Physical Changes during Sleep: Throat muscles and tongue relax more than normal during sleep – alcohol use, some sedatives as well as age can play a role.
Genetics: This disorder can run in families due to anatomic abnormalities or medical conditions that are genetic.

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)

This is a less common form of sleep apnea. It is caused by a central nervous system disorder that occurs when the brain signal telling the body to breathe is delayed. CSA can be caused by disease or injury involving the brainstem, such as a stroke, a brain tumor, a viral brain infection, or a chronic respiratory disease. People with CSA seldom snore. While the causes of apnea are different in CSA and OSA, the symptoms and results are much the same – a deprivation of oxygen and poor sleep. The treatments for CSA include medications that stimulate the need to breathe and administration of oxygen.

What are the treatment options for Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Oral appliances:

Oral appliances, also called dental appliances, are used to treat sleep apnea. They keep the airway open in one of three ways: by pushing the lower jaw forward (a Mandibular Advancement Device or MAD), by preventing the tongue from falling back over the airway (a tongue-retaining device), or by combining both mechanisms

Oral appliances are often adjustable so that the dentist can move the jaw further or reduce the advancement as necessary. The goal is to find the most comfortable and effective position for the patient. Not all dentists are trained to treat sleep apnea.

Other approaches to treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea include lifestyle changes to reduce obesity, surgery to remove the obstructions on the airway, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices etc.

Your orthodontist at Dr. James E. Johnson DDS, & Associates P.C. will discuss with you the various options and treatment approaches for sleep apnea. Please call us at (202) 783-3368 to schedule an appointment with your orthodontist.