Sleep Dentistry

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition where breathing repeatedly stops or becomes restricted during sleep. In obstructive sleep apnea, the airway collapses or becomes blocked. Your brain wakes the body just enough to reopen the airway, often without you remembering it.

AHI stands for apnea-hypopnea index. It estimates how many times per hour your breathing stops or becomes significantly reduced. An AHI of 5 to 14 is commonly considered mild sleep apnea, 15 to 29 is moderate, and 30 or more is severe.

Why We Care About Sleep Apnea

Untreated sleep apnea is linked with fragmented sleep, oxygen drops, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, mood changes, daytime sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating. It can also affect energy, weight, libido, irritability, and the patience you bring home at the end of the day.

Snoring Affects More Than the Person Snoring

Snoring often disrupts a spouse or partner first. Many patients ask about sleep treatment because their partner is exhausted, sleeping in another room, or tired of nudging them all night. Snoring is not always sleep apnea, but loud habitual snoring deserves attention.

Home Sleep Testing

Elm Ridge offers home sleep testing so patients can sleep in their own bed during a normal night. No awkward sleep hotel. No unnecessary referral loop just to get started. Home sleep tests are often more comfortable, more convenient, and commonly less expensive than a lab-based sleep study.

The results are read by a sleep physician. That physician makes the official diagnosis and treatment recommendations. If oral appliance therapy is appropriate, our dental team can help with a custom mandibular advancement device.

STOP-Bang Sleep Apnea Risk Check

This screening tool does not diagnose sleep apnea, but it can help you decide whether testing makes sense.

Red Flags That Should Not Be Ignored

• Observed pauses in breathing, choking, or gasping during sleep
• Loud snoring most nights
• Morning headaches or dry mouth
• Daytime sleepiness, fatigue, poor focus, or irritability
• High blood pressure or difficult-to-control blood pressure
• Waking frequently to use the restroom
• Falling asleep while reading, watching TV, or driving

Mandibular Advancement Devices

A mandibular advancement device gently holds the lower jaw forward during sleep. That forward position can help open the airway and reduce collapse. We use custom, titratable oral appliances rather than one-size-fits-all boil-and-bite devices.

For many mild to moderate sleep apnea patients, oral appliance therapy can be highly effective and is often better tolerated than CPAP. CPAP may still be the best choice for some patients, especially severe cases, but many people struggle with the mask, noise, bulky equipment, travel inconvenience, and distilled water. A dental sleep appliance is quiet, compact, easy to travel with, and does not create noise for your bed partner.

Medical insurance may help pay toward a mandibular advancement appliance in some cases. Coverage depends on the medical plan, diagnosis, documentation, and treatment recommendation.

Dr. Jeff's Personal Story

Dr. Jeff has always snored. His wife eventually encouraged him to get a sleep study, and he was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. He thought he slept fine and had normal energy. After treating himself with a mandibular advancement device, his wife reports no snoring, and he reports waking less, sleeping deeper, feeling more rested, and having a better mood in the morning.

Medical References

Patients can review sleep apnea information from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, oral appliance guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and STOP-Bang scoring from the official STOP-Bang resource.