Sleep soundly with oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea in Dana Point, CA

Does your partner complain that you snore throughout the night? Do you find yourself waking up regularly, tossing and turning? Or are you groggy and feel like you just haven’t gotten enough rest when you wake up in the morning? If so, you may have sleep apnea, a disorder in which your breathing becomes restricted while you sleep. Dr. Mark Cruz, dentist in Dana Point, CA, is extensively trained on how to screen for this sleep disorder, as well as how to manage and treat it with a multi-disciplinary approach that includes oral appliance therapy.

Why treat sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea affects much more than just the amount of sleep you get each night. The condition is associated with several serious health issues, such as:

• Diabetes
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Mood disorders
• Brain fog
• Increased number of traffic and workplace accidents

The reason sleep apnea is so dangerous for your health is two-fold. First, it dramatically impacts your sleep quality, which on its own can lead to fatigue, irritability, and more serious health issues. Each time your airway becomes obstructed, it may cause you to temporarily wake up – and this can occur hundreds of times per night! Second, each apneic episode results in your body temporarily being cut off from oxygen, as your airway becomes obstructed and you are unable to breathe and take in enough oxygen. This places a great strain on your entire body, including your brain and your cardiovascular system, as it tries to pump needed oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues.

Oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are an effective way to treat sleep apnea and have been the mainstay in treatment for years, but they can present many issues for people using them because they are loud and uncomfortable. Often, this results in sleep apnea sufferers giving up on the CPAP machine. Alternatively, oral appliance therapy is an FDA-approved treatment for mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea. Oral appliance therapy is:

• Comfortable
• Convenient
• Portable for easy traveling
• Discreet
• Quiet
• Effective

How it works

First, Dr. Cruz will perform an in-depth evaluation using pulse oximetry screening and visual cues to determine whether you are likely to have sleep apnea. After you confirm the diagnosis with your doctor, using impressions of your mouth, a custom appliance is fabricated for you to wear while you sleep. This appliance places your lower jaw in a slightly forward position, which helps keep your soft tissues from collapsing and obstructing your airway while you sleep.

Dr. Cruz offers oral appliance therapy as part of a personalized comprehensive treatment plan for sleep disordered breathing. Depending on your symptoms and the underlying cause of your sleep apnea, he may also recommend other treatments, such as myofunctional therapy, and certain lifestyle modifications to help you take control of your sleep apnea and start sleeping better.

If you think you may be suffering from a sleep apnea or other sleep disordered breathing, call the dental practice of Dr. Mark Cruz today at to schedule your consultation.