Sleep Apnea Treatment in Fort Atkinson, WI
Simple Treatments for Long-Lasting Relief
Although sleep apneaThis link leads to Sleep Apnea page is associated with many serious dangersThis link leads to Sleep Apnea Dangers page, there is a bright side. Sleep apnea is treatable. And treatment reduces your risks–if you use it.
The most common form of treatment, CPAP, works 100% of the time if it’s used. The problem is that only about 50% of people actually use it long-term. Fortunately, there are other treatment options, including those that can actually cure sleep apnea in some cases.
Our Solutions
At Bite Align, our skilled dentists in Fort Atkinson offer a variety of treatments, including:
- Lifestyle Modification
Lifestyle modification is appropriate as a standalone treatment for mild sleep apnea. However, it can be an adjunctive therapy for all levels of sleep apnea.
There are many ways to reduce the impact of sleep apnea by changing your lifestyle. One simple fix is to change your sleeping position. People have worse sleep apnea when sleeping on their backs. You can also cut out alcohol in the evenings. Alcohol can relax the throat, worsening sleep apnea. Giving up habits like smoking and reducing allergens in the home can help as well.
You can also increase your daily exercise regimen and try to lose weight. This can be hard because sleep apnea disrupts your metabolism and saps your energy.
- CPAP
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most commonly recommended sleep apnea treatment. It is effective on all types and severities of sleep apnea. CPAP forces air down your throat to keep your airway open. This maintains a supply of oxygen even when your breathing stops in central sleep apnea.
Although not everyone can adapt to CPAP, you are more likely to be successful if you work closely with your doctor to try out different technologies and options. It takes time, dedication, and a fair bit of trial-and-error. But even when trying hard, you might not be able to adapt to CPAP.
- Oral Appliance Therapy Using your jaw to better support your airway, holding it open, is an easy treatment to use, doesn’t require power, and is small and compact for easy travel. Plus it’s comfortable and discreet.
As a result, almost all people prescribed use it according to treatment guidelines, and most of them use it all night every night. This makes it at least as effective as CPAP, and a good alternative for people who can’t adjust to CPAP.
Oral applianceThis link leads to Oral Appliance page therapy is a frontline treatment for mild or moderate sleep apnea, and it can be used for severe sleep apnea when people can’t adapt to CPAP.
Curing Sleep Apnea
We have to caution you that this is only appropriate in some cases, and even then it’s not always successful. We can’t always know at the beginning of treatment whether you will be fully cured or not. However, we can actually cure sleep apnea, which means that you won’t need ongoing treatment for life.
Our two potential sleep apnea cures are: the DNA appliance and orofacial myofunctional therapy. In both cases, these cures are for people whose sleep apnea is due in whole or in part to poorly developed jaw structures which contribute to narrow airways.
Take control of your oral health for a lifetime of smiles.
"TMJ Specialist" is not officially recognized by the American Dental Association. Dr. Stafford is a general dentist with many years of training in TMJ and neuromuscular dentistry, even though the specialty is not officially recognized. However, Wisconsin requires the following statement. "Cosmetic dentistry, TMJ, Neuromuscular dentistry, and Aesthetic dentistry are specialty areas not recognized by the ADA that requires no specific educational training to advertise this service".