Tag: breathing

Why Myofunctional Therapy?

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

Struggling with TMJD, sleep apnea, tooth clenching or tooth grinding or other uncomfortable dental condition? You may be a candidate for myofunctional therapy at Millennium Smiles. During myofunctional therapy, we work to retrain the tongue and other muscles that may be impacting your teeth, jaws and the health of your mouth.

Why Choose Myofunctional Therapy?

  • It’s noninvasive. Myofunctional therapy requires exercises and appliances – no surgery!
  • Appliances are removable versus fixed appliances used for orthodontic treatment.
  • It can be combined with other treatments for better results.
  • It is not just cosmetic treatment; it improves how your whole mouth functions for chewing, biting, speaking and swallowing.
  • It helps you breathe through your nose, which helps eliminate the negative consequences of mouth breathing.
  • Speaking of mouth breathing, myofunctional therapy can cure sleep apnea in some cases. How? Myofunctional therapy can retrain your tongue, face, and throat muscles to relax in a way that does not blog your airway.
  • Anyone can do it. While myofunctional therapy works best when patients are younger, it can still work for adults.

Who Does Myofunctional Therapy Help?

  • Individuals living with TMJD
  • Individuals who clench and grind their teeth
  • Individuals undergoing orthodontic treatment
  • Individuals experiencing orthodontic relapses, such as crowding, shifting, open bite, and crossbite
  • Individuals who breathe through their mouth
  • Individuals with tongue ties/tongue restriction and those who have had a frenectomy (tongue tie release surgery)
  • Individuals with bad oral habits such as thumb sucking and nail-biting
  • Individuals living with allergies
  • Individuals living with sleep apnea and other sleep breathing disorders
  • Individuals living with ADD/ADHD

Are you an individual with a condition we mentioned? Do you want to learn more about how myofunctional therapy from Millennium smiles can help you? Call us at 972-987-4899 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Korous today!

You Can’t Take a Vacation from Sleep Apnea

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

Summer is just a few weeks away – and that means fun! For many people, summer means heading out of town to see family or new sights. If traveling is on your bucket list this summer and you are living with sleep apnea, you may want to think about how your condition is going to affect your summer plans.

You Can’t Take a Vacation from Sleep Apnea

As much as you probably want to, you can’t take a vacation from sleep apnea. This means that if you are traveling, you will need to remember to pack your CPAP machine. Not only are you going to need to pack it, but you will also want to bring it on board as a carry-on because you will not want to take a chance on your machine getting lost, delayed, or damaged.

Taking your CPAP on as a carry-on may also require that you bring a copy of your CPAP prescription with you to show the TSA security agent that it is a required medical device.

If you fall asleep on the airplane or you have a long international flight ahead, you will likely want to use your CPAP to protect your health and keep your airway open. If you need to use your machine in-flight, you should be sure to ask when booking your reservation if you can have access to an electrical outlet.

Accommodating Your CPAP at Your Accommodations

If you are traveling in the United States, you probably will not have an issue finding an electrical outlet to use to power your machine, but if you’re heading overseas, be sure to bring an adapter. You may also want to pack a small extension cord just in case outlets are not conveniently placed near your bed.

Also, being on vacation still means you must clean your machine to prevent residue from building up or your machine from smelling. Pack your cleaning materials and extra tubing just in case. You definitely do not want to have to search for CPAP tubing in an unfamiliar city or country.

Speaking of tubing, many people have found that after traveling with their CPAP machine, that the tubes of the machine become damaged or split while packed. Duct tape can help if you need to make an emergency repair.

Traveling with a CPAP Does Not Sound Like Fun

Taking a heavy CPAP, packing it, lugging it through an airport, cleaning your machine, and hoping everything turns out for the best does not sound like the best way to enjoy your vacation. It turns out; you may not have to take your CPAP along with you at all. Some sleep apnea patients have benefitted from dental interventions for their condition – which may replace your bulky machine with a small dental appliance. Learn more about how Dr. Korous can help treat your sleep apnea by calling Millennium Smiles today at 972-987-4899.

More than Snoring: the Seriousness of Sleep Apnea

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

Obstructive sleep apnea is not just about snoring loudly; sleep apnea is a serious health condition. Sleep apnea has serious adverse health impacts, including an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure. Sleep apnea sufferers are at risk of developing migraines, TMJD, and even diabetes. Sleep apnea patients may also be at risk of developing cognitive problems and dementia, according to a new study from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing.

A Study of Sleep Apnea

The UCLA researchers examined the brain scans and health records of individuals living with obstructive sleep apnea who were not under treatment for the condition and compared them to the brain scans of people who did not have sleep apnea. Their analysis found that those individuals living with sleep apnea had evidence of thinning of the cerebral cortex thickness – the part of the brain that plays an essential part in memory, perception, cognition, and consciousness.

They also found that women living with untreated obstructive sleep apnea had greater rates of cerebral cortex thinning than men with untreated sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea affects over 22 million Americans and many more are living with the condition undiagnosed.

What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea Exactly?

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway becomes blocked. For many individuals, this occurs when the tongue falls back and blocks the airway during sleep. When the airway becomes blocked, patients are often jolted awake, gasping for breath. This situation can happen 30 to even 100+ times a night, depending on severity.

But What Does Dentistry Have to Do with Sleep Apnea?

We know it sounds strange for Dr. Korous to be talking about sleep apnea, but dentistry and sleep apnea are often related. For some individuals, dentistry can help sleep apnea by repositioning the jaw.

Here’s how: if the position of the jaw is set too far back, the tongue collapses into the airway when the patient is relaxed during sleep, and the airway becomes blocked. By situating the jaw in a more forward position using a custom-fitted dental appliance, the tongue will not fall and block the airway.

The result is a more restful night’s sleep, reduced blood pressure and a lowered risk of developing serious health complications like cognition problems because of sleep apnea.

For more information about the risks of obstructive sleep apnea and how our Frisco dental office can help, contact Millennium Smiles by calling 972-987-4899.

 

 

 

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