Health
Your Dentist Can Help You
NATURAL Nutmeg
Breathe Easier and Sleep Better Dr. Krithika Jayaprakash, DDS, FAGD, IBDM
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
36 “Millions of Americans suffer from undiagnosed sleep breathing conditions—a patient can be suffering from sleep apnea (the complete cessation of breathing) or sleep hypopnea (slow or shallow breathing).” —Krithika Jayaprakash, DDS, FAGD, IBDM
A
s we all know, the most important involuntary act we perform every second is to breathe— after all, we need to breathe to live. But how many of us are really breathing every second? We concern ourselves with nutrition, exercise, happiness, balanced work life, family life, and so on. But do we ever really consider the importance of breathing? Millions of Americans suffer from undiagnosed sleep breathing conditions—a patient can be suffering from sleep apnea (the complete cessation of breathing) or sleep hypopnea (slow or shallow breathing). We all are aware of breathing during our waking hours. But what about while we sleep?
Symptoms of sleep apnea are • snoring • brain fog • anxiety, depression • stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia • diabetes, obesity • impotence, nocturia • acid reflux When all these symptoms are present, patients need to be tested for sleep apnea instead of just treating the symptoms. After all, the root cause should be treated in order to achieve the cure.
Let me give you a real-life example. During his home sleep study test (HST), one of my patients had an AHI (apnea and hypopnea) score of 15. This means he had literally stopped breathing 15 times every hour. The duration of his sleep is seven hours and during this time, he had stopped breathing a total of 105 times and his oxygen level dropped to 74%. This is considered an emergency in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. His pulse was an astonishing 140; during sleep, our resting pulse should be right around 60. In this patient’s situation, his heart was being overworked due to the consistent cessation of breathing. Now imagine this happening every single day of his life. Sleep is the time our bodies need to relax, rest, recover, and be in the parasympathetic mode. When the body is overworking during sleep, it results in many larger problems in the long run.
You may now be wondering, “How is this connected to dentistry?” During a full mouth evaluation, dentists will note classic signs that a patient may have sleep disordered breathing, the most telling sign being teeth grinding. When the body is deprived of oxygen during sleep we grind our teeth, causing us to wake up or change positions. Some patients repeatedly break dental crowns or bridges due to continuous grinding. Oral signs of sleep apnea are: • narrow jaws and crowding of teeth • tori or exostoses (extra bone on the jaw) • erosion of teeth from acid reflux • abfractions or chipping of enamel near the gum line • extreme sensitivity of teeth • forward head posture • dry mouth • morning fatigue and daytime tiredness
A Case Study in Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea and Oral Appliances
