Sleep Apnea and Tooth Decay
The Unexpected Link Between Sleep Apnea and Tooth Decay
Not many people would think that there is a link between sleep apnea and tooth decay because these are two totally different things. Sleep apnea is the frequent cessation of breathing while a person sleeps at night, often due to the tissue obstructions in his air passages.
On the other hand, tooth decay is the rotting of the teeth due to exposure to bacteria and poor dental hygiene. It would be completely strange to even use sleep apnea and tooth decay in the same sentence.
Sleep Apnea Oral Appliances
Many different negative consequences can come out of sleep apnea and tooth decay is one of them. Quite interestingly, the reason for this doesn’t lie in the problem of sleep apnea itself but rather in the solutions that people use to stop the problem. To be precise, sleep apnea can be controlled using mouth guards or dental masks that are designed to be worn while sleeping. Some people say that such oral devices can increase the sleep apnea risks of tooth decay.
These dental devices will keep your mouth partially open all night, making your teeth exposed to all sorts of bacteria. When these bacteria enter your mouth, they can feed on the minute sugar particles that are left in your mouth, gums and tongue. So while you are getting yourself a cure for sleep apnea, you may also be increasing your risk of developing cavities at the same time.
If you want to prevent both sleep apnea and tooth decay, you might be better off using other remedies, like the CPAP device, which will blow air into your airways while you sleep, preventing them from clogging up. You may also opt for surgical treatments, which will definitely cure your sleep apnea for good and prevent tooth decay as well. However, as surgery is a major procedure, there is also some safety issues to be considered, plus the expenses can be quite high.
Sleep Apnea Dental Devices
If you are not averse to using dental devices to stop your sleep apnea, they can actually be effective as well. For these devices to work, though, you need to have a sufficient number of healthy teeth in your upper and lower jaws because this is where the device will be anchored as you sleep.
In any case, it is very important that you find a solution to sleep apnea as soon as you realize that you do have it. Leaving it untreated for a long time can result in unnecessary risks to your health, which are definitely much more serious than tooth decay.
Get Better Sleep With A Sleep Apnea Pillow
Helping Your Sleep Apnea and Snoring With A Natural Solution
If you are tired of being woken up frequently throughout the night due to your sleep apnea disorder, then it’s about time you considered investing in a good sleep apnea pillow. This is a very effective remedy that is also quite inexpensive and very easy and comfortable to use. It is preferred by many people over more drastic treatments like surgery or major lifestyle changes.
Reduces Snoring
One of the most practical uses of a sleep apnea pillow is its ability to reduce snoring, which can affect not only the individual suffering from sleep apnea but their sleeping companions as well. Snoring is an indication that the person is having a difficult time breathing, possibly due to some kind of obstruction in the air passage.
By using an efficient sleep apnea pillow, you can greatly decrease your snoring and even eliminate it completely, allowing you to breathe more easily as you sleep. These pillows come with specially designed foam panels that are meant to open up your airways as you are lying down, preventing any kind of obstruction from blocking the flow of air into your lungs.
Promotes Better Quality Sleep
When a person wakes up frequently throughout the night due to breathing pauses, he is unable to get the deep sleep that the body needs to fully restore itself. Even if he has no recollection of these periods of waking up, he will certainly feel the exhaustion and fatigue the following day. But with a good sleep apnea pillow, these negative consequences will be a thing of the past.
Choosing the Right Sleep Apnea Pillow
Sleep apnea pillows today come in all sorts of styles, designs and models. In order to get the maximum benefits, it is very important that you choose the particular pillow that will fit your needs perfectly. Don’t just automatically buy the most popular product in the store because there are many more factors that should be taken into consideration, such as individual fit and influence on your posture.
Sleep apnea pillows can be very useful in improving one’s sleep quality and reducing the risk of various sleep apnea complications. However, they are really nothing more than temporary solutions to a problem that may otherwise be better solved using more intensive treatments. If you are suffering from a rather severe case of sleep apnea, or if you are looking for permanent relief from the disorder, you should consult with your doctor for other remedies including surgery.
