Month: August 2013

Do you often wake up feeling worse than when you went to bed? Is your mouth dry and your head aching…and you haven’t had a drop to drink? You might be suffering from sleep apnea. That’s right! You don’t have to be a certain age or weight to have sleep apnea – even kids have it – and it has been connected to all kinds of trouble from difficulty concentrating to sexual dysfunction. If you’d like to stop waking up feeling like you have been on a bender without any of the fun, read on!

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea generally happens when the tongue and soft palate collapse onto the back of the throat. But what causes THAT to happen?

• Relatively large tongue or tonsils when compared to the windpipe.

• More than normally relaxed throat muscles.

• Neck or head shape that constricts or reduces your airway size.

• Control over muscles reduced due to aging

• Obesity causing extra soft fat tissue to thicken the windpipe

 

Ultimately, obstructive sleep apnea is what its name says it is – the obstruction  ( or constriction) of the airway.

Can You Help Treat My Sleep Apnea?

If you suspect you have sleep apnea, we suggest you talk to your family doctor or call a sleep apnea dentist like Holland’s Dr. Jeff Huisman.

Many patients benefit from using a CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine. Unfortunately, some of our patients have found they can’t tolerate them for one reason or another. Sometimes they can’t sleep because of the noise. Other times they can’t stand the feeling of the forced air. Whatever the reason, if you can’t tolerate a CPAP machine or you would like to try something smaller and more comfortable, ask us about our oral appliance therapy.

We use the Thornton Adjustable Positioner® (TAP®), a custom adjustable oral appliance that is worn while sleeping.  This soundless,portable and easy-to-wear appliance holds the lower jaw forward, preventing the tongue and the soft tissue of the throat from collapsing into the airway. Our patients are amazed at how much better they feel.

For more information about how Dr. Dr. Jeff Huisman can help his Holland patients with sleep apnea, call 855.599.5584 today!

You may  think you are drinking enough to keep your body hydrated, but if your mouth feels chronically dry and sticky, you might be suffering from more than dehydration – you might be suffering from “dry mouth” or xerostomia. While dry mouth doesn’t sound dangerous, it is actually a serious issue…and a widespread one: it is estimated that over 44 million Americans deal with this problem and its side effects every day! Are you one of them? If you are, dry mouth could be causing cavities and destroying your teeth!

The Dangers of Dry Mouth

Dry mouth sufferers often don’t even notice that there is a problem until saliva flow has decreased by more than 50%. Without saliva, the acids that cause tooth decay will not be washed away. Saliva also lubricates your oral membranes, and believe it or not, contains vital minerals that aid in tooth repair. This means that by the time your saliva is reduced this significantly,the bacteria that normally reside in your mouth have had a chance to get a real foothold on your teeth and gums causing tooth decay and infection.

What Causes Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth can be cause by a wide range of things – too many to list here –  from the way you breathe to medications you take. Here are some of the more common causes:

• Dehydration

• Smoking or chewing tobacco

• Antihistamine use

• Snoring or breathing with mouth open

• Use of prescriptions to treat depression, anxiety, or pain, among others

• Diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, Hypertension, Anemia

• Radiation or chemotherapy

What Can I Do to Fight the Problem

Watching what you eat and drink is always an important part of protecting your oral health and decreasing your risk for cavities, but it is especially important when you have dry mouth. Here are a few tips:

• Talk to your doctor about whether your prescription could be decreasing saliva flow.

• Decrease your intake of things high in sugar and acids such as soda or sport drinks.

• Stop smoking

• Drink extra water and eat crunchy fruits and vegetables.

• Try chewing Xylitol gum and drinking lots of green tea. Both of these can help kill bacteria in your mouth and lower the acidity of your saliva.

• Make sure your mouthwash does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate

• Call Dr. Huisman, and schedule a complete check up – you could have cavities that aren’t yet causing pain.

For more information about dry mouth, call your Holland dentist, Dr. Jeff Huisman, at 855.599.5584.