Sleep Apnea and Car Crashes

You probably knew that it was a bad idea to drive while tired. But did you know that you may have a problem your dentist can help with? Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OAS) is a common problem that is associated with everything from night time teeth grinding to heart disease, and a new study establishes a connection between OAS and car crashes.

OAS occurs when peoples’ throat tissues sag into their airways in their sleep. It can cause people to wake up, but it can also cause them to snore or get pulled out of deep sleep, leaving them feeling tired without knowing why. This is dangerous because the study found that once people are sleep deprived, they have difficulty determining their level of impairment. This is despite the fact that people with moderate sleep apnea are 13% likelier to crash their cars and people with severe sleep apnea are 123% likelier to do so.

We at Bear Creek Dental in Grande Prairie make custom-fitted night guards to help keep patients’ airways open during sleep. This protects their teeth from grinding, but it also helps them get better rest generally.

Bear Creek Dental is located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 780-539-0404 or visit Bear Creek Dental.

 

Cleaning Night Guards

The staff at Bear Creek Dental in Grande Prairie is attentive to each of our patients’ individual needs, and we understand that many of them wear night guards for help with sleep apnea and night-time teeth grinding. These devices are incredibly valuable, but they have to be cared for properly or bacteria will build up in them, sickening the patient and causing bad breath.

After being removed each morning, the night guard should be brushed. As is the case with dentures, only soft-bristled toothbrushes should be used and toothpaste with extra fluoridation should be avoided. This is to prevent the night guard from being scratched. It is also a good idea to have different toothbrushes for the night guard and the teeth.

The container also needs to be kept clean with something that will not damage it. For this reason, it should not be cleaned with alcoholic solutions, but people often get satisfactory results with ordinary soap. The main difference between night guards and dentures is that they should be dried before being put away. Patients should also be sure they have thoroughly brushed and flossed their teeth before putting the night guard back in.

Bear Creek Dental is located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 780-539-0404 or visit BearCreekDental.CA.

 

Night Guards

At Bear Creek Dental, we help our patients with every aspect of their oral care, including teeth grinding. Also known as bruxism, this behavior is commonly the result of sleep apnea and can cause headaches and neck aches, as well as tooth damage. CPAP machines are the most commonly employed means of combatting sleep apnea, but they may not defend against bruxism, for which patients need an oral appliance known as a night guard.

Like the mouth guard used to protect athletes, a night guard is custom-made from an impression of the patient’s mouth. The durable material resists grinding better than enamel. But a night guard also provides the wearer with more restful sleep by keeping the jaws in a forward position. Sleep apnea is often the result of patients’ airways getting closed off during sleep, and teeth grinding is sometimes a result of the body attempting to open airways by changing jaw position. The forward position maintained by night guards is the optimal one for airflow, removing a cause of bruxism as well as preventing damage.

Tough though they are, night guards still need to be protected during the day by being kept in a hard plastic container. They and the container also need to be cleaned and dried on a daily basis.

Bear Creek Dental is located at Unit 201 10015 102 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8v 0z8, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 780-539-0404 or visit BearCreekDental.CA.