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How Invisalign Braces Can Help Improve Troubling Sleep Apnea Symptoms

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Sleep apnea sufferers can benefit from wearing Invisalign braces at night for helping them to breathe easier. If you deal with sleep apnea, you know well how disruptive it can be to you getting restful sleep. The side effects of sleep apnea can cause dangerous drowsiness during daytime hours. Sleep apnea can also cause other health problems due oxygen deprivation. If you suffer from sleep apnea, learn more about how visiting your dentist may be the best way to get a restful night of sleep.  

Your Jaw And Night Time Breathing Difficulties

Dental researchers have learned that patients--both adults and children--with small jawbones also have a higher rate of sleep apnea symptoms. In the past, when traditional braces were put on, bicuspids were sometimes removed to make more room in the mouth for teeth. While this did make more room on the jawbone for the other teeth to spread out and grown accordingly, it did not provide greater room in the oral cavity, the jaw itself. Because a small oral cavity is common in sleep apnea sufferers, it is has been found that increasing the size of the oral cavity, not just the jaw, is one step in reducing the obstructive symptoms of sleep apnea.   

Growing The Dental Arch To Make More Room For Airflow

Tooth extraction is not the way to increase the size of the oral cavity. However, dental professionals do find that Invisalign braces do increase it by helping the dental arch to grow. When the dental arch grows in the right way, there is more room for the tongue. When someone has a small oral cavity, it may not leave enough room for the tongue. When you sleep, the muscles in your tongue relax and easily cause restricted airflow in an oral cavity that is too small. Invisalign braces can help over time to manipulate the dental arch so that your tongue will have plenty of room inside your mouth.

Combining CPAP And Invisalign Oral Appliances

Only mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea have shown successful results using only an Invisalign oral appliance. If you have severe sleep apnea and have to wear the face mask of a CPAP machine at night to breathe, you can still benefit from an Invisalign appliance because it will help align your bite so the mask will be more comfortable to wear.

Being deprived of restful sleep every night can have a huge impact on your life and daily activities. Learn more about how talking with your dentist (such as one from Sunshine Dentistry) can help you deal with sleep apnea today.


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