Do you snore or live with someone who does? We typically think of snoring as just an annoying sound that makes it difficult to share a bedroom and sleep soundly. However, snoring can often be a sign of a serious health condition, sleep apnea. At Hardin Advanced Dentistry, our dentists treat snoring and sleep apnea with non-surgical therapy that has been proven effective in bringing about healthy, restorative slumber.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea symptoms are characterized by repeated lapses in breathing for up to 10 seconds at a time. Causes include obesity, the tongue falling back to block the throat, and tissues relaxing and collapsing, obstructing the airway. Heredity can also be a factor. Left untreated, sleep apnea has been linked to other more serious health conditions including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and other whole-body health issues.
What Causes Snoring?
Snoring occurs when the air is pushed through restricted or partially-blocked airways. This causes the tissues to vibrate, creating the unpleasant sound as the air passes through.
How Do Our Dentists
Treat Sleep Apnea and Snoring?
Dr. Tara Hardin conducts a thorough examination, and may send you to a medical doctor to confirm a suspected case of sleep apnea. As members of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), our dentists treat snoring and sleep apnea with an oral appliance called a SomnoDent® nightguard. This custom-made acrylic device fits comfortably between your teeth and holds the jaw slightly forward to open air passageways. The SomnoDent appliance is a highly effective alternative to CPAP for patients who snore and/or have mild to moderate sleep apnea.
For more information on sleep apnea treatment, please contact our experienced Mason and Cincinnati sleep apnea dentist by calling (513) 216-2935, or connect with us by filling out our online form. We provide sleep apnea treatments throughout the area, including patients living in Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana.
Understanding
Sleep Apnea
How do you know if you suffer from sleep apnea? The condition is characterized by prolonged breathing pauses while you sleep – a danger to overall health. These pauses can last up to a few seconds or longer, and may occur dozens of times each night. Common symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Snoring
- Morning headaches
- Chronic daytime sleepiness, grogginess
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Impaired concentration and focus
When left untreated, complications related to sleep apnea may include:
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Heart arrhythmias
- Stroke
- Diabetes
One challenge to diagnosing sleep apnea is that its symptoms are commonly associated with other dangerous health conditions. For this reason, we might refer patients to their family physician to confirm a suspected case of sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Despite the fact that millions of Americans live with sleep apnea, some sufferers fail to realize that the right dentist may be able to successfully treat the condition.
At Hardin Advanced Dentistry, our dental professionals treat sleep apnea, as well as snoring, with a customized, acrylic oral appliance called a SomnoDent® nightguard. If you suffer from sleep apnea and want to find out more about whether this solution might work for you, call us today at (513) 216-2935.
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea
In addition to symptoms, a physician takes into consideration the following contributing factors:
- Obesity
- A small or receding jaw
- Age-related jaw muscle deterioration
- Swollen tonsils
Types of Sleep Apnea
There are different types of sleep apnea – central sleep apnea (CSA), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or a combination of the two conditions. Patients who suffer from less severe cases of the condition can successfully treat it without resorting to a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP).
A SomnoDent® nightguard counters sleep apnea by keeping your mouth open and your tongue in the correct position to allow easy breathing as you sleep. Patients who use the SomnoDent® nightguard in conjunction with such lifestyle changes as weight loss and smoking cessation, should experience a marked improvement.
At Hardin Advanced Dentistry, we stay current with the latest advances in treating sleep apnea and snoring through our membership in the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM).
Our team of dental professionals is well-versed in treating sleep apnea, regardless of whether you have lived with it for years, or only suspect you may have this potentially-dangerous health condition. please contact Hardin Advanced Dentistry online today or call (513) 216-2935 for your sleep apnea appointment. We proudly serve patients from Mason, Dayton and the Greater Cincinnati area, as well as Southeast Indiana and Northern Kentucky.
Snoring
Snoring may earn you some friendly razzing from friends and family, but don’t just “laugh off” a chronic problem. Snoring is one of the key symptoms of sleep apnea, a disorder that can lead to serious medical conditions such as depression, diabetes, heart attack and stroke – not to mention the impact upon your relationship when your loud snoring makes it impossible or unpleasant to share a bed or bedroom.
If you or a family member suffers from habitual snoring, please contact Hardin Advanced Dentistry today by using the form on this page, or by calling (513) 216-2935. Our Mason sleep apnea dentists welcome patients from Cincinnati, and Dayton, Ohio, as well as Southeast Indiana and Northern Kentucky.
Why Do I Snore?
Snoring occurs when your throat tissues relax enough during slumber to partially block your airway. If you “saw logs,” every night, you are not alone. Almost half of American adults snore occasionally, and 75% of snorers are suffering from some level of sleep apnea. Other causes of snoring include:
- Poor throat and tongue muscle tone
- Nasal problems
- Large tonsils
- Smoking
- Alcohol consumption
What Can I Do
at Home?
Not all snoring treatments require medical assistance. You can make several lifestyle adjustments immediately:
- Sleep on your side instead of your back.
- Try a full-length body pillow.
- Stay well hydrated.
- Quit smoking.
- Reduce alcohol consumption.
SomnoDent® is a preferred alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, which requires a mask, hose and compressor to regulate air pressure throughout the night. CPAP is a highly effective but bulky, unattractive treatment for sleep apnea. The process is often too awkward and cumbersome for most people suffering from the condition to continue for more than a year before giving up on it.
If you or a loved one snores frequently, call Hardin Advanced Dentistry today at (513) 216-2935 or complete the form on this page. We proudly serve patients from Cincinnati, Mason and Dayton, Ohio, as well as Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana.
Why choose
Dr. Tara Hardin?
Dr. Hardin is a Las Vegas Institute Fellow, granted only after a minimum of 278 hours of advanced education and experience in aesthetics, physiologic science, and a comprehensive practical examination. Additionally, she is an Accredited Fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, an accreditation granted only to those with superior performance and knowledge in cosmetic and restorative dentistry. These qualifications are compounded by almost two decades of experience and continued education.
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What convinced me to try Hardin Dental, was that she not only emphasizes your smile, but also the health of my teeth.
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Now I smile with confidence and I have people telling me my teeth look beautiful.
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My experience at Hardin was nothing but positive. Dr. Tara Hardin made me feel very comfortable and important.
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The best thing about Hardin Advanced Dentistry is that Dr. Tara Hardin is just a perfectionist with what she does in the field of cosmetic dentistry.
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Hardin Dentistry is very professional and makes us feel extremely comfortable.
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I had a great experience at Hardin Advanced Dentistry.
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My experience at Hardin Advanced Dentistry has been wonderful.
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The thing that I like most about Hardin Advanced Dentistry is the professionalism and timeliness of her staff, and the outcome of the work that was performed on my teeth.
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Amazing dentist and staff and the best work ever! I highly recommend this place!
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From the initial phone call to my appointment, everyone treated me very kindly. I couldn't have asked for more as a patient. Thank you all for everything.
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I am so glad I am a patient here! It is a great feeling to have my "repairs" completed and now I am just in "maintenance mode with a clean bill of health at every check-up!"
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Everyone is always so pleasant and every visit is a great experience.
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Everything went very smoothly and they were very comforting and eased my worries.
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Dr. Tara and her staff are the best. Organized, efficient, gentle, thorough, and very skilled are just a few of the adjectives that I would use to describe my experience.
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Best dental office ever. Dr Tara is one of the most knowledgeable dentists I've ever known.