Sleep Apnea & TMJ Wellness Center

Sleep Apnea Treatment Center

Your quality of life can be affected greatly by the quality of the sleep you get. Fortunately, help for those suffering with a lack of sleep is easily accessible from a sleep clinic. You can usually get treatment without the need for medications.

Sleep Apnea Alabama

What is Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the term for when the airway collapses, either partially or fully, while someone is asleep. This limits or blocks the ability for air to flow into the lungs. As the person continues to try and breathe, the airway constricts, no matter how hard they try to keep breathing. Once this happens, the person will change the position of their tongue and jaw so that the airway is now open. This usually is followed by the person gasping or snorting. Finally, the person affected will begin this process again.


The effects of this are harmful. It not only makes it harder to breathe, which can be dangerous, but it also leads to less restful sleep. When the airways constrict, the brain “awakens” the person so that they are sleeping more lightly. Spurts of gasping and snorting can repeat hundreds of times throughout the night, disrupting sleep all around.

How can a dentist help with Sleep Apnea?

Oral appliances are simple in how they function as sleep treatments. An oral appliance keeps the airway open by keeping the lower jaw and tongue from falling back and blocking the airway. This is similar to the “head tilt, chin lift” procedure taught in CPR classes. While there are many appliances on the market, they all basically do the same thing—keep the airway open by preventing the jaw from falling back.


Oral appliances are made by dentists because they secure to your teeth. They're made out of a variety of materials—most being adjustable. The sleep treatment appliance being adjustable is important so that an effective jaw position can be found. In our offices patients are routinely scheduled for follow up sleep studies during which the appliance can be adjusted by the sleep technician to ensure that the appliance is working as well as possible.

CPAP Alternative Childersburg

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • Why Does My Jaw Make Noise?

    There are several reasons your jaw may be makng noises. For some it is because they have deterioration of the bone and there are loose bone particles causing a gringing sound. For others it is the sound of their jaw popping in and out of place. To fully understand your jaw noises, an evaluation by a trained professional is necessary.

  • Do TMJ Problems Hurt?

    The vast majority of TMJ problem is accompanied by pain, and in some cased the pain is so severe that the patient cannot eat or speak without sharp pain.

  • Why Is My Jaw Stuck Or Locked?

    If your jaw is locked shut it is likely because the articular disc in your TMj has slipped out of place, and needs to replaced by a medical professional. If your jaw is locked open (which is rare) seek help immediatly.

  • How Do You Diagnose TMJ Problems?

    We hve a very thurough examination by which we diagnoes TMJ issues and determine a treatment strategy specific to each individual patient.

  • My Dentist Took X-Rays Can We Use Them?

    In many cases we can use your dentists X-rays, but in some situations further imaging is needed for a proper diagnosis.

  • What Might Happen If I Do Nothing?

    Very few patients can have a TMJ problem and need no treatment. But for the vast majority of patients if no treatment is done their symptoms will get worse over time and they can cause irreparable damage to their jaw joint, possibly needing total jaw joint replacement surgery down the road.

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