Sleep Apnea Treatment Chapel Hill

How are you sleeping? Do you snore? More than an annoyance, snoring can be a sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a condition caused by obstruction near the base of the tongue.

The real problem with sleep apnea isn’t snoring – it’s when snoring stops. When the snoring stops, so does your breathing. In fact, OSA can cause you to stop breathing hundreds of times in one night and often for a minute or longer.

Symptoms of OSA :

• Daytime Sleepiness
• Chronic Fatigue
• Morning Headache
• Irritability
• Impaired Memory And Judgment
• Mood Disturbance
• Depression

Risks of OSA
As if chronic daytime sleepiness isn’t enough, more serious problems are associated with this disorder. Sleep apnea patients are much more likely to suffer from:

• Heart disease (heart attack, congestive heart failure, hypertension)
• Increased risk of strokes
• A higher incidence of work-related and driving related accidents
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Generalized inflammation
• Bruxing (teeth grinding)
• Death while sleeping

Left untreated, Obstructive Sleep Apnea can shorten the average lifespan by 10 years.
Dr. Saib can help. Dr. Saib is one of the first three dentists in North Carolina to be formally trained in OSA therapy. He can prescribe and fit a custom-made oral appliance to gently hold the mouth and throat in an open position during relaxed sleep and prevent snoring. Dr. Saib mostly uses the TAP III appliance for the treatment of Sleep Apnea but has been known to use other appliances when needed.

For more information on this treatment, contact Dr. Saib today.