Treatment For TMJ Disorders: Say goodbye to sleep disorder

Sleep disorders are various conditions that restrict the ability to sleep well regularly. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is one of the major sleeping disorders and potentially a serious issue that is affecting lot of people.This disorder causes breathing to stop temporarily due to some obstruction. There could be multiple reason for OSA. While the person is asleep the throat muscles relax and blocks the airway or tongue moving back obstructing the airway due to narrow arch form which leads to the primary reason for obstructive sleep apnea.

Symptoms of OSA
People with sleep apnea will experience a lot of problems throughout the day, such as:

1.Drowsiness during day time
2.Lack of concentration during day time
3.Headache
4.Mood swings
5.Poor performance at the workplace or school
6.Hyperactivity in children
7.Disinterest in sex
8.Leg cramps
9.Night palpitations
10.High blood pressure
11.Snoring; loud or faint.
12.Clenching and grinding of teeth.
13.Restless Sleep.
14.Getting up often during sleep
15.Twisting and turning while Sleeping
16.Choking sensation during sleep.
17.Bed wetting in adults.
OSA could be a major reason for heart attacks.

Causes of OSA
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the throat muscles relaxes leading the tongue fall back and block the airway. This would lead to difficulty in breathing, and the person tends to wake up for a few seconds, which he/she will not remember the next day.

Excess weight
High blood pressure
Narrow airway
Smoking
Nasal blockage
Diabetes
Hereditary factor
Asthma
Narrow arch form
Previously treated Orthodontic patients with or without extraction.

Medical care
The aim of treating sleep apnea is to allow proper airflow during sleep. There are various measures to treat obstructive sleep apnea, such as:

Weight loss
Nasal decongestants
Yoga
Exercise regularly
Quit smoking
Try not to sleep on your back
Avoid drinking alcohol several hours before you sleep

If these measures don’t improve the sleep pattern then, there are various treatments and few devices that could help treat obstructive sleep apnea.

1. Oral Devices like Silensor
2. DNA appliance
3. ALF
4. Maxillary Skeleton Expansion
5.Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) - this is managed with a face mask that is worn at night.

In the worse scenarios, doctors would recommend surgery. The most common type of surgery is Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), which involves the removal of extra tissues from the back of the throat, thus, enabling the airways to be open. There are other procedures as well to treat sleep apnea such as jaw surgery, upper airway stimulation, surgical opening in the neck, nasal surgery, removal of enlarged tonsils, and implants.