What is Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Risks & Treatment

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a severe sleep disorder that causes your breathing to repeatedly start and stop when you sleep. For example, if you snore loudly or feel tired and exhausted after getting a whole night’s rest, you might likely have sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea can affect you in three variations. They are obstructive sleep apnea, the most common and occurs when your throat muscles relax. Central sleep apnea occurs when your brain doesn’t send signals to the muscles controlling your breathing. The third variety, complex sleep apnea, occurs when you have both obstructive and central sleep apnea.

If you think you or a family member has sleep apnea, you must schedule an appointment with your doctor or the dentist in 91710. Early treatment can ease the symptoms and help prevent complications like heart problems.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Obstructive and central sleep apnea have overlapping symptoms making it challenging to determine which variety affects you. The familiar signs of obstructive and central sleep apnea include loud snoring, episodes causing you to stop bleeding during sleep and reported by a bed partner, gasping for air when sleeping, waking up with a dry mouth, challenges staying asleep, morning headaches, daytime sleepiness, challenges paying attention, and irritability.

Loud snoring is not something you should take lightly because it is a severe problem. However, not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. Therefore you must discuss your symptoms with the dentist and inquire about any sleep-related issues that leave you tired, sleepy, and irritable.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your throat muscles relax to narrow your airway when breathing. Central sleep apnea is a condition where you make no effort to breathe for short periods. Both varieties cause you to wake five or 30 times every hour throughout the night.

Risks of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea affects anyone, including children. However, certain factors can increase your chances of developing this sleep-related disorder.

Obstructive sleep apnea is common among people with excess weight, thicker neck circumference, narrowed airway, gender, age, family history, alcohol use, nasal congestion, smoking, and medical solutions. Men are more prone to have obstructive sleep apnea than women. However, women can also develop this condition if they are overweight and are past menopause.

In central sleep apnea, the risks include age, gender, heart disorders, drug use, and strokes. Men are affected by central sleep apnea more than women.

Diagnosing Sleep Apnea

If you visit the dentist in Chino, CA, reporting your symptoms, the dentist will likely evaluate your symptoms and sleep history. You might require help from her bed partner or a family member to discuss your symptoms with your dentist.

You will likely receive a referral to a sleep disorder Center where a sleep medicine specialist helps you determine whether you need further evaluation. Sleep apnea evaluations often involve overnight monitoring at a sleep center to evaluate your breathing and body functions when sleeping. For example, the polysomnography test, considered the gold standard for assessing sleep apnea, requires hooking you up to equipment monitoring your heart, lungs, and oxygen levels when sleeping.

If you are affected by sleep apnea, the sleep medicine specialist refers you back to your dentist or doctor for further treatment.

Treatment for Sleep Apnea

If you are affected by a mild case of sleep apnea, you might find relief for making lifestyle changes like losing weight or quitting smoking. However, if your situation is complex, sleep apnea treatment in Chino, CA, might recommend oral appliances designed by dentists to help keep your throat open when sleeping. The gold standard for treating sleep apnea is the CPAP device which many people don’t tolerate. However, there is no reason for you to express disappointment because the oral appliance created by dentists is easier to use, keeps your lower jaw in a forward position, and is practical to relieve snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

Your dentist can provide different devices as a remedy for your condition. However, you might need to try other devices before finding one suitable for you. After you get the right fit, you must follow up with your dentist immediately for at least a year and after regularly to ensure the device fits well and to reassess your signs and symptoms of sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea when left untreated, can expose you to life-threatening health complications that require different medical professionals. Therefore if you think you are affected by sleep apnea, please do not hesitate to visit Ramona Dentistry of Chino requesting treatment for the problem from the experienced professionals at the facility.

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DENTAL VENEERS

Over the years, many people have been to the dentist for various dental treatments that they knew nothing about until they needed it. Today, we have access to so much information at our fingertips. In this article, you will learn about dental veneers and how they can help enhance your dental health.

What is Dental Veneers Treatment?

Dental veneers treatment involves placing tiny shells or coatings on the front of the teeth to cover damages and stains. Due to their natural appearance, they are hardly noticeable by others. That is because the materials used for dental veneers are similar to your natural teeth and can blend in with your teeth’ color.

5 Interesting Facts About Dental Veneers

The dental veneer procedure is advantageous. However, there are things that you might not know about the procedure. Here are five things you need to know about dental veneer:

1. Dental Veneer Placement Requires Two Dental Visits:

To get your dental veneers in Chino, CA, you have to speak with your dentist. During the dental veneer procedure, your dentist would examine your teeth to check for teeth decay and other dental issues before proceeding with the dental veneer treatment. Once your dental structure has been reviewed and confirmed to be free from decay or dental issues that might complicate the treatment, your dentist will proceed with the treatment. Your dentist would take an impression of your dental structure to the dental lab, where a lab technician will make a veneer that suits you. You will return to the dentist’s in a few weeks for your veneer placement.

On your second appointment, your dentist would clean your teeth thoroughly. Your dentist would then create a rough surface on the tooth that requires veneer treatment. The rough surface is to allows the veneer to get attached to your tooth easily. After that, the dentist will use dental cement to attach the veneer to your tooth. To complete the process and allow the veneer to stay firm on your tooth, your dentist will use UV (ultraviolet) light to run through the veneer.

2. Dental Veneers Are Not For Everyone:

Before getting dental veneers, your dentist has to examine your teeth. That would enable your dentist to know the state of your dental health and if the dental veneers are the proper treatment for you. If you have infected or missing teeth, a dental veneer might not be suitable for you. Also, if you have gum disease or bruxism (chronic teeth grinding), your dentist near you might have to recommend another dental treatment asides from a dental veneer.

At Ramona Dentistry, our dentists routinely conduct dental examinations and help dental patients make the right choices concerning the dental treatments they need.

3. Veneers Can Fix Various Dental Abnormalities:

Veneers go beyond fixing broken or chipped teeth. Dentists can also use them to cover severe tooth discoloration. Dentists also use veneers to bridge unnecessary gaps between the teeth. If you have irregularly shaped teeth, you can get dental veneers.

4. Getting Dental Veneers Is An Irreversible Procedure:

Unlike some dental treatments that you can take off if they are ineffective or wrong, dental veneer, on the other hand, is a treatment that is not reversible. Because veneers require enamel removal so that the veneers can stick properly to the teeth, you would always have to leave them placed on your teeth. That is why you have to make sure that your decision about getting a dental veneer is final. Fortunately, veneers stay strong and durable over the years, and you would hardly have any issue with cracks.

5. Veneers Are Not Necessary For The Whole Mouth:

Depending on the dental problem, you can choose to use veneers for only one tooth or more. Also, patients who have multiple dental issues and require full-mouth restoration can get dental veneers. If you need dental veneers and are unsure how to go about it, you can book an appointment with our dentist in Chino today.

Main Benefits of Zoom Teeth Whitening Treatment

Importance of White Teeth

A perfect set of white teeth adds aesthetic beauty to the face apart from the regular functions. White teeth help to boost your confidence and improve the quality of your smile. In the absence of any disease that may affect the tooth enamel or the development of the teeth, the teeth appear white when they first erupt above the gumline. The story of the teeth starts from the womb; however, the teeth are not seen in the mouth until six to twelve months after the birth of a child.

The first set of teeth ever grown by an individual are referred to as milk teeth. These teeth are the whitest an individual can have because of their possession of thinner enamels. Proper care for the teeth maintains the whiteness until the teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth. The permanent teeth are much more robust but less white than the milk teeth because they possess thicker enamels. That is because the permanent teeth perform more functions and are expected to last for a very long time.

White teeth are mostly regarded as a sign of good dental health. Unfortunately, white teeth might not stay white forever as they can get stained through their daily usage. The process through which the teeth lose their natural color and develop brown or yellow stains is known as tooth discoloration. Tooth discoloration might occur due to improper care for the teeth, old age, environmental conditions, etc. Discolored teeth damage your smile and make your facial aesthetic value reduce. In addition, discolored teeth can expose you and increase your risk of having severe dental and medical health conditions.

The adverse effects of discolored teeth on your appearance and health is why it is essential to restore the color of your teeth to their natural state. Correcting the color of the teeth to their natural state can be achieved through zoom teeth whitening in Chino, CA.

What is Tooth Whitening?

Tooth whitening is a procedure through which the color of the teeth is whitened or lightened from their existing color with the aid of bleaching agents. There are different types of ways to whiten the teeth. These procedures include teeth whitening strips, whitening toothpaste, home whitening kits, coconut oil teeth whitening, in-office professional teeth whitening, etc. For optimal results and reduction of risks to the barest minimum, you should always opt for professional teeth whitening with a dentist near you.

There are two methods of professional teeth whitening. These include Laser teeth whitening and Zoom Teeth whitening. Laser teeth whitening involves the application of a concentrated whitening gel on your teeth while using a laser to heat them, causing your teeth to whiten quickly. Zoom whitening in Chino, CA, on the other hand, involves the careful application of a bleaching agent made with peroxide to the enamel. An ultraviolet light unit may then be used to accelerate the peroxide breakdown and speed up the whitening process.

Causes Of Tooth Discoloration

Your teeth might become discolored as a result of intrinsic or extrinsic effects. Extrinsic tooth discoloration happens due to the things that come in contact with the teeth from outside. The teeth possess pores (tiny holes) that can absorb the colors of foods and beverages such as coffee, tea, soda, dark berries, etc. A buildup of these colors leads to discoloration.

Intrinsic causes of tooth discoloration are developed inside the teeth. These can occur due to diseases and medical treatments that might affect the teeth’ enamel or dentin. Also, factors like aging, genetics, trauma to the teeth can cause intrinsic discoloration. These stains are harder to remove and require professional whitening.

Benefits Of Zoom Teeth Whitening Treatment

Zoom teeth whitening is one of the most popular and effective methods of whitening teeth. Benefits of this procedure include:

  • Zoom whitening is perfect for teeth that are sensitive to hot and cold temperatures (sensitive teeth).
  • It produces fast results.
  • The procedure is totally painless and safe when handled by a dental professional.
  • Zoom whitening procedures are quick and easy.
  • It is very effective, and the effects are long-lasting.

If you are looking for Zoom Teeth Whitening in Chino, CA, you can call or schedule an appointment with Ramona Dentistry for professional dentistry services.

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