Can a dentist treat sleep apnea? A dentist with specialized training in dental sleep medicine can play an important role in helping patients understand and manage obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but a dentist does not diagnose sleep apnea. A formal diagnosis comes from a qualified medical provider based on a sleep study.
At Gunbarrel Dental Center in Boulder, Dr. Rachel Barone can review your sleep study findings, evaluate your bite, jaw, tongue position, and oral structures, and discuss options that may be appropriate for you. Depending on your individual situation, that may include a custom oral appliance, using an oral appliance along with CPAP, or discussing whether a more corrective approach to oral and jaw development may be appropriate.
If you are wondering whether your snoring, breathing, or oral development could be affecting your sleep, a sleep consultation with Dr. Barone can be a helpful next step in determining where to go from here.
What Happens to Your Airway During Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway becomes partially or completely blocked during sleep, causing breathing to stop or become very shallow. When this happens, the brain briefly rouses the body to reopen the airway. These interruptions can happen many times throughout the night, often without the person realizing it.
Common signs can include:
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Loud or frequent snoring
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Gasping or choking during sleep
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Waking with a dry mouth or sore throat
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Morning headaches
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Feeling tired despite getting a full night’s sleep
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Difficulty concentrating during the day
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Observed pauses in breathing during sleep
Untreated sleep apnea can have important effects on overall health, which is why identifying and appropriately managing it matters.
How Does CPAP Treat Sleep Apnea?
CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, uses a bedside machine and mask to deliver a steady stream of air while you sleep. The pressure helps keep the airway open and prevents it from collapsing.
Where CPAP Fits In
CPAP is a well-established treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and may be recommended by your medical sleep provider, particularly when sleep study results show more significant airway obstruction.
For some patients, CPAP works very well. For others, wearing a mask, dealing with air leaks, traveling with equipment, or adjusting to the pressure can make consistent use difficult.
If you have been prescribed CPAP but are struggling with it, that does not mean you have run out of options. A conversation with your sleep physician and dental sleep provider may help determine what alternatives or combination therapies could be appropriate.
How Does an Oral Appliance Work?
A custom oral appliance, commonly called a mandibular advancement device (MAD), is worn while you sleep. It gently positions the lower jaw forward.
Because the tongue is attached to the lower jaw, bringing the jaw forward can also move the tongue forward and help create more room in the airway. For appropriately selected patients, this can help reduce airway obstruction during sleep.
Oral appliance therapy is commonly considered for patients with certain levels of obstructive sleep apnea and may also be considered when someone has difficulty tolerating CPAP.
Sometimes It Can Be Both
An oral appliance does not necessarily have to replace CPAP.
For some patients, an oral appliance may be used in conjunction with CPAP when additional airway support is needed. Your sleep study results and medical recommendations help determine what level of treatment is appropriate.
The goal is not simply to choose between two devices. It is to understand what is contributing to your airway obstruction and what combination of therapies may be appropriate for your individual situation.
Could Your Tongue and Jaw Development Affect Your Airway?
Your tongue, jaw, palate, and dental arches all have an important relationship with the airway.
When the dental arches are narrow or there is limited space in the mouth, the tongue may have less room to naturally rest in an ideal position. In some people, the tongue can sit farther back toward the throat, particularly during sleep when the muscles naturally relax.
Because the tongue is a large muscle that sits directly next to the airway, its position can contribute to airway obstruction in some individuals.
This is one reason Dr. Barone looks beyond simply asking whether someone snores. During an airway and sleep consultation, she may evaluate factors such as:
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Tongue position and available tongue space
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Dental arch width and palate shape
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Bite and jaw position
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Mouth breathing
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Signs of restricted tongue movement
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Oral structures that may contribute to airway limitations
What About Expansion or Corrective Treatment?
For some patients, the conversation may go beyond managing sleep apnea with a device.
If a child or adult has a narrow dental arch or limited oral space, orthodontic or orthopedic treatment may sometimes be considered to expand the arches and create additional room for the tongue.
The goal in these cases is not simply to straighten teeth. Depending on the individual, treatment may also be part of a broader approach to improving oral function, tongue space, and the relationship between the mouth and airway.
Not everyone with a narrow arch or airway concern needs expansion, and treatment recommendations depend on the individual patient’s anatomy, development, symptoms, and overall evaluation.
What Happens During a Sleep Consultation at Gunbarrel Dental Center?
A consultation with Dr. Barone is a chance to look at the bigger picture.
1. Review Your Sleep History
Dr. Barone can discuss your concerns, symptoms, snoring, breathing habits, previous treatments, and any questions you have about your sleep.
2. Get a Sleep Study — Right From Home
Gunbarrel Dental Center offers convenient at-home sleep studies that you can complete in the comfort of your own home.
The sleep study is then reviewed and interpreted by a sleep physician. This provides the medical sleep-study interpretation needed to help establish whether obstructive sleep apnea is present and how significant it may be.
Once the results are available, Dr. Barone reviews the findings with you from a dental and airway perspective and uses that information, along with her clinical evaluation, to help determine which dental treatment options may be appropriate.
Already Have a Sleep Study?
You’re welcome to bring or send us a sleep study you have already completed.
Keep in mind that not all sleep studies contain the same information or measurements. Depending on how the study was performed and what information was collected, an existing study may not include all of the specific information Dr. Barone needs to make the most complete dental sleep assessment.
If that happens, Dr. Barone can discuss whether an additional or different type of sleep study would provide more useful information.
3. Evaluate Your Oral and Airway Structures
Dr. Barone may evaluate your:
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Bite and jaw position
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Dental arches and palate
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Tongue position and movement
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Available tongue space
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Oral structures
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Signs of mouth breathing or other airway-related concerns
4. Discuss Your Options
Depending on your individual findings, your options may include:
Management:
A custom mandibular advancement device may be appropriate for certain patients and can sometimes be used alone or in combination with CPAP.
Corrective treatment:
For some patients, addressing structural or developmental factors may be part of the conversation. This could include orthodontic treatment or expansion when clinically appropriate to create additional oral space and improve the environment for proper tongue positioning.
Medical coordination:
Dr. Barone works with the patient’s medical and sleep providers when appropriate so that treatment decisions are based on the patient’s overall sleep health.
Why Does a Custom Oral Appliance Matter?
If an oral appliance is recommended, a custom appliance is designed specifically for your mouth and bite. Digital impressions can be used to create an appliance that is then fitted and adjusted in the dental office.
Because a mandibular advancement device changes the position of the lower jaw while you sleep, your bite, teeth, and jaw joints need to be considered and monitored.
Dr. Barone has specialized training in occlusion—the way the teeth come together—and is a member of the American Equilibration Society and the World Dentofacial Sleep Society. Her approach considers both airway concerns and the health of the bite and jaw.
Can a Dentist Diagnose Sleep Apnea?
No. A dentist does not diagnose sleep apnea.
Dr. Barone can screen for signs and risk factors, discuss your symptoms, and review an existing sleep study. A formal diagnosis is made by a qualified medical provider based on sleep-study findings.
If you are concerned about sleep apnea and have not had a sleep study, Gunbarrel Dental Center can provide an at-home sleep study that is interpreted by a sleep physician. Dr. Barone can then review those findings with you as part of your dental sleep consultation.
Is an Oral Appliance as Effective as CPAP?
There is no single treatment that is right for every patient.
CPAP can be highly effective when used consistently, while an oral appliance may be an appropriate option for certain patients with obstructive sleep apnea. In some situations, an oral appliance and CPAP may be used together.
The appropriate approach depends on factors such as your sleep-study results, anatomy, dental health, jaw position, and ability to tolerate and consistently use treatment.
Can an Oral Appliance Help With Snoring?
An oral appliance can reduce snoring for many patients because it helps address the airway narrowing that contributes to snoring.
However, snoring alone does not tell you whether you have sleep apnea. If you are experiencing loud or persistent snoring, gasping, choking, or pauses in breathing during sleep, a proper sleep evaluation is important.
What If I Want to Address the Underlying Cause?
This is an important part of the conversation at Gunbarrel Dental Center.
Some patients are primarily looking for a way to manage an existing sleep apnea diagnosis, while others want to understand whether oral or structural factors may be contributing to their airway concerns.
Depending on the patient, the discussion may involve an oral appliance, CPAP coordination, orthodontic considerations, tongue positioning, or other approaches.
There is not one treatment that is appropriate for everyone. The first step is understanding what is happening with your airway and what factors may be contributing to it.
Talk With Dr. Barone About Your Sleep and Airway
If you are wondering whether your snoring, breathing, tongue position, bite, or oral development could be affecting your sleep, a sleep consultation with Dr. Barone is a great place to start.
Whether you already have a sleep study or need to complete one, Gunbarrel Dental Center can help you take the next step. Our at-home sleep studies are interpreted by a sleep physician, and Dr. Barone can then review the findings with you and discuss the dental and airway factors that may be relevant to your care.
From managing sleep apnea with an oral appliance or coordinating appliance therapy with CPAP, to discussing corrective approaches when appropriate, the goal is to help you understand your options and determine the appropriate next step.
Call Gunbarrel Dental Center at 303-530-4145 to schedule a sleep consultation with Dr. Barone.
We proudly serve patients in Boulder, Gunbarrel, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, and surrounding communities.