Very few people are perfectly quiet when they sleep. Most people make some noise and maybe snore from time to time. But it’s not normal to snore very loudly almost every night. That can be a sign you have sleep apnea, a condition that has its dangers.

That’s why you need to call our Butte, MT dental office today at 406-565-4458 and make your next appointment for sleep apnea treatment. Dr. Gilbreath and Dr. McIntyre are both highly trained in sleep apnea relief, including using dental devices that you might be able to use instead of a CPAP machine.

It’s Much More Than Just Snoring A Lot

There are a few different kinds of sleep apnea, but the most common is likely obstructive sleep apnea. Here’s what typically happens with this condition.

  • When you fall asleep, your body’s muscles start to relax. That’s normal.
  • But with obstructive sleep apnea, the muscles in your throat relax too much. Their weight begins to bend your windpipe.
  • As you try to force air through a closing windpipe, you start to snore very loudly.
  • Even though you’re asleep, your windpipe eventually closes entirely and you cannot breathe.
  • Your body panics, but before you can wake up completely, those throat muscles tight back up and you can breathe again.
  • So you fall back asleep, only to start having those muscles relax again.

This cycle can happen over 200 times in a typical night of sleep! That means you are never getting the rest your mind and body need.

The Dangers Of Untreated Sleep Apnea

No doubt, you can remember a time when you got little sleep at night. You probably spent the next day in a bit of a haze. With sleep apnea, you’re not getting the sleep you need most (if not all) nights. That means you are facing some unique but hidden dangers with sleep apnea.

HEART DISEASE

When sleep apnea robs you of sleep, it’s doing that by robbing you of your breath. That means you are not getting the oxygen your body needs. To compensate, your heart starts pumping harder and faster in hopes of distributing what oxygen you do have throughout your body. This extra stress happens when your heart should be resting.

That’s why you need to call our Butte, MT dental office today. Our Butte dentists can help with dental devices that can keep you breathing and getting the oxygen you need.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

When you’re heart is beating faster due to sleep apnea. It’s also putting extra pressure on your circulatory system. Your veins, arteries, and capillaries are supposed to be resting here, not working harder. That leads to hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure.

By calling Butte Family Dental today at 406-565-4458, you can make an appointment to be evaluated by our Butte dentists. You’ll likely have to get a sleep study done, but then you can get a dental device that often helps you stay asleep.

DEPRESSION AND IRRITABILITY

Humans are supposed to get sleep at night. Not only does it help the body heal, it helps the mind rest as well. When you’ve had just one bad night, you might be a little cranky, but that problem goes away easily. But with sleep apnea, that problem doesn’t go away. Instead, what starts out as chronic irritability can turn into depression.

To help avoid this problem, call our Butte dentists today. Dr. Gilbreath and Dr. McIntyre can both help you sleep better with dental devices designed specifically for sleep apnea.

CAR ACCIDENTS

When you’re tired, you can have trouble focusing, especially for long stretches. But when you have sleep apnea and are tired most of the time, that inability to focus can happen a lot. That’s why you can be at a higher risk for a car accident when you have untreated sleep apnea. You have too much trouble focusing on the road.

That’s why calling our Butte dentists is so important when you think you have sleep apnea. Once a sleep study had been done to confirm your sleep apnea, dental devices that work on your tongue or jaw can help you get the sleep you need to stay focused when it really counts.

Call us TODAY at 406-565-4458 or use our convenient online form to schedule your next appointment for sleep apnea treatment. Again, most people snore from time to time. But if you’re snoring almost every night, you need to do something about it before things get bad.