Did You Know a Dentist may be the go-to Person For Diagnosing Sleep Problems?
Your dentist, Dr. Barry Chase may be the first medical professional you see for help diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. It may come as a surprise, but poor oral health is also a symptom.
This means that your dentist may notice symptoms before you do, saving you a trip to the GP. In addition, some dentists work with sleep doctors to better identify and treat patients with sleep disorders.
The Value of a Timely Diagnosis in Sleep Disorders
A widespread sleep issue may affect as many as 70 million Americans. Although everyone experiences fatigue or sleep loss from time to time, fatigue is a chronic issue for many people in the United States.
Along with daytime sleepiness, poor sleep quality has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, sleep disturbances affect the quality of life and its length.
Reasons Your Dentist Might Be the First to Pick Up on Sleep Disorder Symptoms
It is a bit of a surprise to some to find that dentists are frequently on the front lines of identifying sleep disorders. Dentists are in a prime position to identify sleep disorders by looking for symptoms in the mouth, such as mouth breathing, incorrect tongue placement, tooth grinding, and other oral health problems.
Other oral health indicators associated with sleep apnea include:
- Tooth grinding
- A diminutive jaw size.
- A crimson neck from a night of snoring.
- Tongue bordered with a scalloped edge.
- Sleepers have complained of a dry throat or tongue upon waking.
Dentists and medical doctors are increasingly collaborating on diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. If your dentist inquires about your sleep habits, whether or not you snore, or if you have any other sleep-related issues, please be forthright. If you grind your teeth and wake up with a dry mouth, these inquiries may not be as random as they first appear.
The Rest of the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Here is a list of the following indicators of obstructive sleep apnea in addition to oral health issues:
- Experiencing daytime fatigue, sleepiness, or drowsiness to an abnormal degree.
- Snoring too often or too loudly.
- startling awake, gasping, or choking.
- A morning headache is really annoying.
- I find it difficult to focus on day-to-day tasks.
- Having a dry mouth or throat upon waking.
- Stopping your breathing sometimes while you sleep.
- The dangers of hypertension.
- They have reduced sexual desire or unstable moods.
- Persistent nighttime perspiring.
How to Maintain a Clean Mouth and Get Some Rest?
A dental checkup is the first step in diagnosing any kind of sleep condition, including issues with your oral health.
