Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Morning Headaches - Could Sleep Apnea Be The Cause?

Thursday, November 07, 2013

In my last post I talked about morning headaches and teeth grinding. Another common cause, that is usually not diagnosed, is obstructive sleep apnea. There is some research that is beginning to suggest that the two might actually be linked in some cases.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep breathing disorder. During sleep, the soft tissues of the mouth and throat relax and fall back, blocking the airway. The sleeper actually stops breathing. This occurs many, many times throughout the night with the sleeper briefly waking to begin breathing again. Search YouTube for videos of patients with sleep apnea, it is frightening to watch.

Left untreated, sleep apnea has been linked to heart attack, stroke, diabetes, depression and weight gain.

The signs of sleep apnea include snoring, gasping during sleep, weight gain, a large neck size and extreme daytime sleepiness. Patients may wake with headaches or sore throats.

Sleep apnea can only be diagnosed by a physician but it can be treated by a dentist who is trained in dental sleep medicine.

I'm proud to say that I am only one of three dentists in Florida who are board certified by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. I work closely with area sleep physicians to ensure that their patients who are unable to use CPAP machines are effectively treated with oral appliance therapy.

Sleeping with an oral appliance is a simple and comfortable way to treat obstructive sleep apnea.

Find out more about obstructive sleep apnea and oral appliances by contacting our office at 561-394-9000 today.

Labels: obstructive sleep apnea, teeth grinding, TMJ