Dentists are often the first to detect sleep disorders in patients. One such condition is sleep apnea, which causes recurring breathing pauses during sleep that can last from a few seconds to several minutes, occurring 30 times or more per hour. This is often caused by flaccid throat muscles, an oversized tongue, or a small jaw, all leading to airway obstructions.
Tooth grinding, also known as bruxism, is a common early warning sign of sleep apnea. This condition can lead to tooth wear, breakage, inflamed and receding gums, and an increase in cavities.
Clenching the jaw and grinding the teeth while sleeping sends signals to the brain to wake up and take a breath, leading to poor sleep quality and fatigue. Other oral health signs of sleep apnea include having a small jaw, scalloped tongue edges, or redness in the throat from excessive snoring, another symptom of sleep apnea.
Gasping for breath can cause a person to wake up repeatedly, resulting in a higher risk of fatigue, poor sleep quality, and other health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
If a dentist suspects that a patient has sleep apnea, they may recommend a sleep study. However, only a medical doctor can officially diagnose sleep apnea. Common sleep apnea symptoms include chronic snoring, daytime drowsiness, waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth, and morning headaches. If you experience any of these symptoms, please let Dr. Hodzic know.