There are many people who suffer from snoring or sleep apnea. The fact that you might miss is that you may be suffering from this condition too. People who suffer from snoring, sleep apnea, or both, will often visit their family doctor or an ENT specialist for further diagnosis.

However, you might be skipping a key person in the treatment of sleep apnea: your dentist.
By visiting your dentist, you can receive important information and care for sleep apnea in Atlanta. To help you better understand this connection, let’s take a look at the oral origins and the role of Mayoor Patel, DDS, MS.


What are the dental origins?

Everything begins with your oral health. For example, snoring and sleep apnea are caused by a collapse of the upper airway when the muscles relax during sleep. This results in episodes of pauses in breathing throughout the night.

The tongue is the most likely culprit for the collapse of the airway. Often, the tongue might even be larger than normal. While the tongue is present in the mouth, it also extends down the throat and beyond–most of the length of the collapsible upper airway.


What is Dr. Patel’s role in treating sleep apnea?

To meet your individual needs for sleep apnea treatment, Dr. Patel has completed specialized training that allows him to properly choose and fit an oral appliance. His experience allows him to create a custom oral appliance for sleep apnea treatment that is specifically tailored just for you and your individual needs. This rigorous training allows dentists to successfully treat sleep apnea.

Oral appliance therapy for the treatment of sleep apnea helps control collapsing of the tongue onto the airway by moving the jaw forward and it also allows air to flow from the mouth to the tongue. This helps to create proper breathing. An oral appliance can also help you stop snoring, as well as allowing you to sleep and breathe better throughout the night.

The availability of oral appliance therapy allows dentists to provide a less invasive and more predictable solution opposed to surgery.

Contact Dr. Patel at Craniofacial Pain & Dental Sleep Center of Georgia to learn more about sleep apnea and why it is important to talk to your dentist. Through proper care with oral appliance therapy, we can help create an appropriate sleep apnea treatment plan.