Your partner may find your snoring habits annoying, but snoring could impact the quality of your sleep too. If you snore at night, you could be putting pressure on your heart, brain, and respiratory system, increasing your risk of medical problems. But chronic snoring may negatively impact the wellness of your teeth and gums too.
Snoring may leave lasting damage to your smile, but your dentist can treat underlying sleep apnea to alleviate your symptoms. Read on to learn more about the oral health risks that come with snoring and sleep apnea as well as how your dentist can help you stop this problem.
Heightened Risk of Dry Mouth
If you snore as you sleep, your mouth may remain agape as you unconsciously attempt to get more air. Sleeping with your mouth open can dry out your mouth. The dry environment can leave your mouth feeling uncomfortable and give you unpleasant morning breath. But this can put your oral health at risk too.
This condition allows bacteria to spread easily across the surface of your teeth to your gum tissue. This means you have a heightened likelihood of contracting an infection in your gums called periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease can cause bleeding, puffiness, and soreness in the gums. It will require therapeutic treatment from a dentist to eradicate. If periodontal disease progresses, the tooth root and jawbone could deteriorate which may result in tooth loss and other irreversible dental damage.
Dentists recommend preventative care when it comes to gum health to avoid this potential harm to your smile. This entails addressing risk factors for this infection like dry mouth. You should ask your dentist for tips to stop snoring and sleeping with your mouth open in order to preserve your smile. Your dental professional can help you address sleep apnea.
Fight Sleep Apnea with Help from Your Dentist
Sleep apnea refers to a condition in which the soft tissue at the back of the throat collapses while an individual is asleep and obstructs their airway. Patients with this problem may also snore, sleep with their mouths open, and experience a lower quality of sleep. These symptoms can point to worsening oral health concerns. But your dentist can help you treat sleep apnea and prevent these issues.
A general practitioner may recommend sleep apnea treatment using a CPAP machine, but some people may not tolerate this system. For patients with mild sleep apnea, a dentist can construct a personalized mouthguard to be worn as they sleep.
This mouthguard is designed to keep your jaw aligned in a position that stops the collapse of tissue at the back of the throat. Because it is custom made, the oral appliance will fit both comfortably and securely in your unique mouth.
It will not disrupt your sleep, so patients are more likely to continue using it and find relief from their symptoms. Schedule a consultation with your dentist if you would like treatment for your snoring and sleep apnea.