Sleep Apnea in Northwest Calgary

Sleep apnea is a significant sleep disorder in which a person’s breathing is interrupted while sleeping. Untreated sleep apnea causes people to repeatedly stop breathing during the night, often hundreds of times.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway is obstructed during sleep. The diaphragm and chest muscles labor harder to open the airway during an apnea episode as the pressure rises.

With a loud gasp or a body jolt, breathing generally restarts. At Carrington Dental in Northwest, Calgary, we offer sleep apnea dental appliances to help patients suffering from sleep apnea. Let’s take a look at what they are.

Combination of CPAP and Dental Devices

High pressures and an unpleasant nose or face mask fit are frequently related to CPAP therapy difficulties. The dentists at Carrington Dental can collaborate with your sleep physician to create a dental sleep device you can wear alongside your CPAP machine.

Your CPAP machine connects to this custom-made dental sleep device or oral appliance. When you use your CPAP in conjunction with jaw advancement provided by a mandibular advancement device, you can set the CPAP at a lower pressure.

Mandibular Advancement Devices

The most prevalent type of dental sleep device seen at Carrington Dental for the treatment of snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a mandibular advancement device. Oral appliances, or dental sleep devices, are other names for them.

By pulling the mandible (lower jaw) forward, Advancement Devices help to expand the airway. Behind the chin, the tongue links to the lower jaw. By enhancing the muscle activity of the tongue and other airway muscles, Mandibular Advancement Devices improve the strength and rigidity of the airway.

Tongue-Retaining Devices

Tongue Retaining Devices (TRDs) act similarly to MADs by holding the tongue forward. TRDs pull the tongue forward, and they control the tongue directly, rather than moving the jaw forward like a Mandibular Advancement Device. Tongue Retaining Devices may have fewer therapeutic problems than MADs in some circumstances, but they are also less pleasant, and getting used to them can take several weeks or months.