Dental Health and Sleep

If you’ve tossed and turned trying to sleep at night, you know it’s not easy to smile the day after. But did you know poor sleep has other effects on your smile, such as poor dental health?

It’s time to get a good night’s rest with help from our solutions at Riar Dental. When we can diminish or resolve sleep apnea or snoring symptoms or correct a misaligned bite, you’ll feel better and maybe smile a little more, too!

How Snoring Affects Your Oral Health

Let’s talk about snoring. At its best, it’s only occasional, but snoring can be incredibly annoying to anyone close by! At its worst, snoring puts a strain on the heart and affects night after night of deep sleep–which is absolutely necessary for good whole-body health.

Snoring is the soft vibrating of the throat muscles when the air is trying to squeeze through a tight or obstructed canal. It can be caused by gaining weight, which promotes bulky throat tissue, or an obstructed nasal airway due to allergies, a sinus infection, or a deviated septum. Use of alcohol, sedatives, or tobacco also contributes to snoring, as the relaxed muscles in your mouth (tongue and throat) can become so relaxed that they obstruct your airways.

Losing Sleep Over Saliva?

Here’s where snoring gets even more interesting or your oral health: a lack of salivary flow (called Xerostomia) due to snoring can lead to bad breath, tooth decay, gum disease, infections, and discomfort while you sleep. Saliva is nature’s way to flush out the mouth (tongue, teeth, gums) of debris and bacteria. Without saliva, you may be left with more than bad breath in the morning!

I Snore…So Now What?

One of the easiest ways to help improve your oral health is to drink plenty of water throughout the day and especially after meals. Brush and floss twice a day, and, of course, come see us twice a year for your maintenance check up!

For some, losing weight or addressing allergies can be a great help, and for others orthodontic help may be the answer. Visit us for a checkup and let us know your concern–we’ll help you address your specific dental needs!

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Sleep apnea is when your breathing, or lack of it, is interrupted during sleep because your throat and mouth muscles become over-relaxed and collapse on your airway. Essentially you stop breathing multiple times (up to 100!) during the course of the evening, and this prevents you from entering a deeper phase of sleep. When your body is deprived of oxygen, it does more than just affect breathing: it can lead to increased risks of developing high blood pressure, heart failure, headaches, heart attacks, diabetes, depression, and strokes. Sleep Apnea Symptoms Also Include:

• Teeth grinding, clenching or tooth sensitivity
• Missing, broken, or cracked teeth
• Pain when chewing or speaking
• Excessive wear and tear on teeth
• Jaw pain or TMJ disorder (TMD)

Treating Sleep Apnea With Dr. Riar

As your family dentist, Dr. Riar is trained to keep an eye out for potential snoring or sleep apnea symptoms that affect your oral health. If you do experience snoring or suffer from sleep apnea, your doctor may prescribe the following treatments:

• A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device (CPAP) to be worn at night
• Custom orthodontic mouthguard or nightguard to reposition the jaw alignment
• Lifestyle changes such as weight loss, or reduced alcohol or cigarette use
• Medical treatments for more complex cases of sleep apnea or snoring

Orthodontic Dentistry in Bakersfield

We know that a good night’s sleep is essential for the overall health of our patients, and especially their smiles! If you or a loved one is losing sleep over snoring or even a toothache, we want to be there for you to help melt away the worry and bring you back to proper health.

Give our office a call at (661) 832-1877 to schedule a consultation for you or your family.

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