Sleep Apnea Treatment – Scottsdale, AZ

Achieving Better Sleep for a Healthier Life

Man in bed waking up tired before sleep apnea treatment in Scottsdale

With sleep apnea affecting millions of people in the United States, our dentists at Shea Dental of Scottsdale want to help. The inability to breathe freely throughout the night can lead to chronic fatigue, resulting in impaired function each day. Over time, it can affect your overall well-being by targeting your physical, mental, and emotional health. This is why sleep apnea treatment in Scottsdale from our team of dental experts can help to turn your life around for the better. Give us a call if you’re ready to start sleeping better.

Why Choose Shea Dental of Scottsdale for Sleep Apnea Treatment?

  • Dentist with a Passion for Helping Patients Sleep Better
  • Customized Oral Appliances to Ease Symptoms
  • Helps Patients Arrange At-Home and Lab Sleep Tests

 

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Woman covering her ear in bed next to snoring man

This well-known breathing disorder is the reason millions of people lose valuable sleep at night. Occurring when breathing ceases for 10 or more seconds while sleeping, sleep apnea is often caused by an obstruction in a patient’s airway, resulting in frequent interruptions that leave many patients choking or gasping for air. These interruptions can occur once or hundreds of times each night.

Sleep Apnea Testing

Paper with list of medical conditions with sleep apnea checked off

To determine if you have sleep apnea, it is necessary to undergo a sleep test. Our team at Shea Dental of Scottsdale can help to arrange an at-home or lab-based sleep study so that you can receive a formal diagnosis and begin treatment. With sleep apnea testing, a physician can analyze your sleep patterns based on sensors that track and record the activity of your heart, brain, and respiratory system while you sleep.

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

Dentist holding light purple oral appliance for sleep apnea treatment

The goal of sleep apnea treatment is to help you start to breathe freely without interruption. To do this, our team must establish how to create additional space inside the mouth. If the problem is the tongue or the area behind the tongue, appropriate treatment options can come in the form of custom-made occlusal splints.

Depending on the problem that exists inside the mouth, we can use this conservative, non-surgical approach to keep your airway open. This not only helps to manage your symptoms but also allows you to build up jawbone strength over time.

Of course, we want to do more than just manage your symptoms, which is why we’ll also work to identify the underlying cause of sleep apnea and begin to address the issue in an appropriate way (i.e., weight loss, stress management, lifestyle changes, etc.).

Can Children Have Sleep Apnea?

Child sleeping on their back

Although less common in children than adults, young people can develop sleep apnea. Its symptoms may look a bit different than those that form in an older individual, but the inability to focus, behavioral issues, and even bedwetting are some of the common signs that a child is suffering from a sleep-breathing disorder. Because the muscles in children’s mouths are continually growing, it can make sleeping without interruption more difficult.