Obstructive Sleep Apnea

More than 18 million Americans deal with sleep apnea - a condition that causes the back of the throat to collapse while they are sleeping, which blocks the airway, automatically reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to all of their organs. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly and stop breathing suddenly for short periods of time. When the blood-oxygen level drops low enough, the body wakes itself up, sometimes even hundreds of times each night. This happens so quickly that your body doesn’t even realize it has woken up, but you may just wake up in the morning feeling restless and unrefreshed. Did you find yourself relating to situations in the afore-written paragraph? You may have sleep apnea. Here is a list of symptoms that may continue to present themselves more with age and weight gain:

  • Unintentionally falling asleep during the day
  • General daytime sleepiness
  • Unrefreshed sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Waking from sleep with a choking sound or gasping for breath
  • Loud snoring

If you believe you may have sleep apnea, it is a good idea to talk to an AADSM Dentist near you - that is, a dentist who specializes in sleep apnea treatment. Before you go, your dentist may ask you to answer the following, so it may be a good idea to think about answers to these questions/statements beforehand:

  • What time you went to bed each night
  • What time you got up in the morning
  • How many times you woke up during the night
  • Whether you felt rested when you woke up
  • If you took naps during the day
  • Whether you felt sleepy or rested throughout the day

Visit our office in Oxon Hill, Maryland or call us today at 301-652-3444, to find out more about sleep apnea and how we can help you.

Understanding TMJ Disorders

In a world full of initials and acronyms, it’s easy to dismiss the daily barrage of alphabet soup. But the letters “T-M-J” are three initials that we think you should be aware of, because if you have an untreated TMJ disorder, you might not even be able to eat alphabet soup! TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. Everyone has two of these. They are the two joints, jaw muscles and ligaments that enable the opening and closing of the mouth. Your TMJ facilitate chewing, talking and even swallowing. These joints also control the mandible (lower jaw) as it moves forward, backward and side to side.

Each of your TMJ has a disc situated between the ball and socket. This disc provides a cushion, of sorts, and it enables the jaw to function in a variety of ways, including opening widely or rotating or gliding.

A TMJ disorder, which is often painful, is any problem that prevents these muscles, ligaments, discs and bones from working together properly. TMJ disorders can be caused by arthritis, dislocation, injuries, tooth and jaw alignment (or misalignment), stress and teeth-grinding.

It is important to be properly diagnosed for TMJ disorders (sometimes called “TMD”), because they are treatable! This is great news because TMD is usually painful, and it can potentially become a serious problem.

There are several treatments for TMD and some of them are relatively simple. And sometimes TMD needs to be addressed through orthodontic treatment.

The best course of action is to come and visit our office, so we can take a look at your particular case. So, if you experience a painful popping or clicking noise while chewing — or perhaps you have frequent headaches or jaw pain — please call us at [phone] or 301.839.0055, and we’ll take good care of you.