If you’ve been struggling to get quality sleep or if your relationship has been negatively affected by sleep apnea, you should know there are high quality treatment options available near you. Dr. Georgaklis has years of experience treating moderate to extreme cases of sleep apnea. Treatment often involves the use of custom-made oral appliances. It’s important to learn about and fully understand your condition to get a full grasp of the best treatment options for you.
Overview of sleep apnea
A person who has sleep apnea will stop breathing for a few seconds while sleeping. In cases of obstructive sleep apnea, the stoppage of breathing occurs because the air passages are blocked by excess tissues. When breathing stops, the brain sends signals to the affected person to wake them up so breathing can resume. This can happen several times throughout the night while the affected person is trying to sleep, causing them to get low quality sleep and feel tired a lot.
Sleep apnea reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to the brain and can severely affect the patient’s mood and quality of life. Symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, daytime drowsiness, and headaches. These disruptive sleep patterns not only affect the person suffering from sleep apnea, but can also keep the person’s partner from achieving high quality rest.
How Dr. Georgaklis treats sleep apnea
Dr. Georgaklis has years of experience treating obstructive sleep apnea. When you seek treatment from Dr. George for your sleep apnea, he can perform the necessary evaluations to determine the best treatment option for you. Oral appliances are a commonly-used and effective tool for keeping the airway open throughout the night for people who would rather not use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
These custom oral appliances are very similar to mouthguards. To ensure effectiveness, Dr. George and his team will take impressions of your mouth to design a comfortable device made just for you.
The most commonly-used type of oral appliance used for helping patients combat sleep apnea is the mandibular advancement device (MAD). This appliance shifts the bottom jaw forward and prevents it from falling back into the air passages and blocking airflow. It covers the lower and upper parts of the jaw and is connected with metal hinges. Certain forms of these oral appliances allow the wearer to adjust how far the lower jaw moves.
Another type of oral appliance used for treating sleep apnea is the tongue-retaining device. This appliance holds the tongue in a forward position throughout the night. This is a good option for patients whose tongues tend to collapse to the back of the mouth while sleeping.
Oral appliances can reduce the occurrence of snoring in patients. Over long-term, consistent usage, oral appliances can effectively treat sleep apnea for most patients.
Visit Dr. Georgaklis For Sleep Apnea Treatment In San Diego
Sleep apnea is a serious health issue that can cause severe discomfort in the form of headaches and fatigue, reduce your quality of life, negatively affect your relationship, and expose you to other health issues. It is critically important to treat this condition so you can sleep better at night, rest well and improve your overall health. Dr. Georgaklis is the clear choice for treating sleep apnea in San Diego and La Jolla.