Dry mouth, one of the symptoms of sleep apnea, may affect your oral health. Fortunately, your dentist at Attleboro Center for Dental Sleep Medicine in Attleboro, Falls, MA, offers a treatment that will help you manage both dry mouth and sleep apnea.
How dry mouth affects your oral health
Dry mouth is a common symptom of sleep apnea. 31% of sleep apnea sufferers who participated in a study published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine reported suffering from dry mouth. Sleeping with your mouth open, a common habit among sleep apnea sufferers, may be the reason that your mouth is so dry.
Decreased saliva can:
- Increase Your Tooth Decay Risk: Saliva washes away food particles and bacteria, helps neutralize acids that attack your tooth enamel, and plays an important role in strengthening weak areas of enamel. If your mouth is often dry, you may be more likely to develop cavities.
- Cause Bad Breath: Saliva also removes dead cells in your mouth and tongue that cause bad breath. Dead cell and bacteria build-up could be the reason that your breath isn't as fresh as you would like.
- Make Swallowing More Difficult: Have you noticed that food doesn't go down quite as easily when your mouth is dry. Saliva moistens and breaks down food and is essential for normal swallowing.
- Affects Your Sense of Taste: Lack of saliva can also affect the functioning of the taste buds in your tongue and dull your sense of taste.
A visit to the dentist can improve your symptoms
Sleep apnea is a particularly dangerous condition that increases your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health issues. In addition to dry mouth, you may experience morning headaches, sore throat, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, and irritability if you have sleep apnea.
During your visit to the Attleboro Falls, MA, dental office, your dentist may recommend an oral appliance to treat your sleep apnea symptoms. The device fits over your teeth and moves your jaw forward. Repositioning your jaw keeps your airway open, preventing breathing pauses while you sleep. Although reducing your sleep apnea symptoms may be all you need to do to relieve dry mouth, your dentist can recommend over-the-counter products or prescription medication if dry mouth continues.
Do you struggle with dry mouth due to sleep apnea? Call (508) 699-9550 to schedule an appointment with the Attleboro Falls, MA, dentists at the Attleboro Center for Dental Sleep Medicine.