We’ve looked at the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, and the common causes. But if you exhibit the symptoms we’ll cover again in this blog, how do you undergo a diagnosis? In today’s blog, your Greenville, TX, dentist will explain how we diagnose OSA, and how we move forward with a treatment that provides an alternative to the CPAP machine.
Warning Signs
When should you consider an appointment to talk about your issues at night? With the disorder, there are soft tissues in the back of your mouth and in your throat that become too relaxed and collapse as you sleep. The collapse of these soft tissues cuts off airflow, so you stop breathing for brief periods. While you may not remember this occurring, it interrupts your sleep cycle and leaves you feeling exhausted the next day. Other symptoms include waking up suddenly choking or struggling to catch your breath, snoring, dry mouth, headaches, moodiness, and trouble staying focused on tasks or staying awake behind the wheel. If you experience one or more of these, please talk to our team.
Assessments
Our team begins with a sleep assessment. We want to know more about your nighttime habits. Do you have trouble falling asleep and staying that way? Do you often feel tired or moody, do you experience symptoms of depression? Do you snore frequently? Our team will also take obesity and high blood pressure into account, as well as other risk factors for people probe to developing OSA. The assessment lets us know if you need to make simple changes to your routine, or if you may need treatment for a disorder.
Home Sleep Test
Following the assessment, we may send you home with a pulse oximeter device. The machine sits at your bedside and registers blood oxygen levels, cessation of breathing, blood pressure, and other factors in an apneic episode. The results of the machine enable us to make a diagnosis with accuracy and precision. For some, we may also suggest a physician-ordered lab test, in which you rest in a special lab setting and are monitored by experts.
A CPAP Alternative
If you need treatment, then what will that look like? The good news is that we don’t rely on a CPAP machine. Instead, we will create an oral appliance that you wear like a mouthguard at night, which helps you breathe without interruption and enjoy a better night’s rest.
Smith Family Dentistry in Greenville Treats Poor Sleep
At Smith Family Dentistry, we use a detailed assessment and a comfortable home test to help diagnose the presence of OSA. To learn more about identifying problems with your ability to sleep, then talk to Dental Sleep Solutions of Greenville by contacting our office at 903-455-0516.