Could My OSA Be Causing Gum Disease?

Managing your health can be a lot like juggling. You can’t just pay attention to one ball in the air, or you’ll drop the others. Thus, when you have a condition like obstructive sleep apnea, you’ll still need to keep an eye on your oral health, too. This is especially important because studies have shown that patients with OSA are at a higher risk of periodontal (gum) disease. Here’s why researchers believe the connection exists, and how you can protect your oral and overall health if you have sleep apnea.

Why Does Obstructive Sleep Apnea Increase Gum Disease Risk?

When you think about OSA, you probably aren’t thinking too much about its risk to your smile. After all, it’s a sleep disorder, right? But the truth is, conditions like OSA that affect the breathing can sometimes affect other, seemingly unrelated areas of the body. With OSA, it is common to experience things like inflammation and a weakened immune system, as well as mouth breathing during the night. This in turn can not only dry out the mouth, but it can also make the body more vulnerable to infection from oral bacteria, increasing the risk of periodontal disease.

How Can I Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

The good news is that with obstructive sleep apnea, there’s no need to toss and turn worrying about how to get a good night’s rest. Your dentist may offer a solution that treats your OSA and helps you get the shuteye you need, safely and more comfortably than you may have known was possible. Although many patients are initially treated with CPAP, some don’t like wearing an awkward mask and find the forced air uncomfortable. A custom oral sleep appliance designed to manually prop the airway open can help you get the sleep you deserve without the use of machinery and tubing, and because it’s more comfortable, it’s much more likely that you’ll use it, making it more effective than CPAP.

How Can I Prevent Gum Disease?

Another benefit to oral appliance therapy is that it can help prevent issues like periodontal disease, too. That’s because your mouth will be less likely to dry out during the night, and because you’ll be able to sleep, your body will be better equipped to fight infections and inflammation. Furthermore, because these devices are so small, they’re much easier to keep clean, meaning they’re less likely to harbor the dangerous oral bacteria that causes gum disease.

Remember, while you may think that treating OSA is just about getting much-needed rest, it can also have many other benefits to your oral and overall health. To learn more about how a sleep appliance from your dentist may be able to help you get the sleep your body deserves, schedule a consultation for sleep apnea treatment today and protect yourself for a lifetime.

About Dr. Held

Dr. Jonathan Held isn’t just a sleep dentist, he’s also a sleep apnea patient, too, so he understands how hard it can be to get a good night’s rest with traditional treatments like CPAP. Thankfully, Dr. Held has a solution that could help: a custom sleep appliance from Sleep Better Southwest may just be the answer you’ve been looking for. To learn more about these devices and to see if you qualify, schedule a consultation with us today by visiting our website or calling 928-404-0332.