When people think about orthodontic treatment, they might not automatically associate our field with getting a better night’s sleep. Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous condition that can be curbed by orthodontic treatment, and Master Orthodontics is here to explain how the two are closely linked.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep. These pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and may occur numerous times throughout the night. Sleep apnea disrupts normal sleep cycles, preventing you from having a restful sleep, and can lead to serious health issues if left untreated. Here are a few common symptoms:
- Loud snoring
- Frequent waking during the night
- Morning headaches
- Difficulty concentrating during the day
- Daytime fatigue and irritability
Orthodontics and Sleep Apnea: What’s the Connection?
In many cases, sleep apnea is a result of misaligned teeth and jaws, which Dr. Caballero aims to correct. By treating these structural issues, we can improve airway function to help resolve your symptoms or your child’s symptoms.
When it comes to treating our teen and adult patients, we use the following treatment approaches:
- Rapid maxillary expander: In cases requiring serious structural adjustments, a rapid palatal expander ( RPE) can decrease the airway resistance at breathing, improving the oxygen intake, improving symptoms significantly.
- Jaw surgery: Bimaxillary Orthognatic surgery: has over 90% effectiveness in treating sleep apnea. Dr. Caballero being a Craniofacial trained orthodontist can plan and treat these specialized treatments.
Treating Your Child’s Sleep Health
If your child is displaying symptoms of sleep apnea, it is definitely worth scheduling a free consultation with Master Orthodontics for an assessment. Dr. Caballero is a Surgical and Craniofacial Orthodontic expert, specializing in guiding facial development to create proper breathing patterns that last a lifetime.
Pediatric patients will often show sleep apnea symptoms in different ways than adults. Keep an eye out for the following, especially if your child is exhibiting two or more:
- Hyperactivity or ADHD
- Constant fatigue
- Mouth breathing
- Snoring or rapid, shallow breathing
- Frequent bedwetting
- Restless sleep or frequent nightmares
- Pauses in breathing during sleep
There are many benefits of early intervention for kids, specifically. Just like with other orthodontic issues, being preventative and proactive when possible is always the best way to go.
1. Enhanced Behavioral and Cognitive Development: Better sleep helps children focus during the day, improving behavior, mood, school performance, memory, and cognitive abilities.
2. Better Facial and Jaw Development: Orthodontics guides proper facial and jaw growth, promoting balanced facial aesthetics and preventing other dental and orthodontic complications.
3. Reduced Need for Future Invasive Treatments: Addressing airway and breathing issues early can minimize or eliminate the need for invasive procedures like surgery or extensive orthodontics later in life.
The Consequences of Ignoring Sleep Apnea
Finally, we want to give you some words of warning about delaying treatment for this condition. We know that life is always incredibly busy, but it’s important to prioritize your health in any way you can, especially when it comes to something that could put you or your child in danger.
- Increased Cardiovascular Issues: One of the greatest concerns associated with untreated sleep apnea is heightened cardiovascular risk. The repeated pauses in breathing strain your heart, raising the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, or even a heart attack.
- Elevated Risk of Stroke: Sleep apnea frequently interrupts the oxygen flow to your brain, significantly increasing stroke risk. Continuous oxygen shortages can weaken and damage your blood vessels, making you more susceptible to strokes.
- Potential Diabetes Complications: Sleep apnea can negatively affect how your body regulates blood sugar, raising your risk of insulin resistance or worsening existing diabetes. Effective treatment helps improve insulin sensitivity and stabilizes blood sugar levels.
- Declining Cognitive Performance and Productivity: Persistent sleep disruption greatly diminishes cognitive abilities such as concentration, memory, and decision-making skills. This decline can severely affect your efficiency and accuracy in professional or academic settings.
- Mental Health Challenges: Ongoing sleep disturbances are strongly connected to emotional health issues, including anxiety and depression. Sufficient restful sleep is vital for emotional balance, and untreated sleep apnea can intensify these mental health concerns.
Say Hello to Better Sleep
Master Orthodontics is a special practice because we understand that orthodontics is extremely multi-faceted, and we treat our patients with this in mind. We love and lift up our Bremerton and Port Orchard communities, and would love to see you soon for your very own free Smile Analysis!
