Thursday, September 6, 2018

Sleep Apnea and Alcohol

People suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OAS) will find compassionate, expert care at Elite Dental Arts in Midtown. Our oral appliances will help protect patients from night time teeth grinding while keeping their airways open. But because we focus on prevention, we want our patients to know they can reduce their risk of OAS by avoiding alcohol before bed.


OAS is caused by the sagging of throat tissue into the airway. It results in teeth grinding (bruxism) because people subconsciously try to move their jaws and reopen their airways while asleep. Alcohol is a muscle relaxant. It creates a risk of throat obstruction even in people who do not get sleep apnea normally. Consequently, they may be taken out of deep sleep several times in a night. But they may also have a more difficult time waking up if they stop breathing, which could cause the amount of oxygen in their blood to get dangerously low.


People may not realize if they have sleep apnea, but they can get tested for it in a sleep clinic. We can assist sleep apnea patients by providing them with custom-fitted oral appliances to keep their upper and lower teeth apart at night, but avoiding muscle relaxants will let the oral appliances do their jobs more easily.


To learn more about Invisalign and all the services we provide at our practice, visit Elite Dental Arts for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Mobilia of Elite Dental Arts here in New York, NY, call our office at 212-681-0939.


Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017


 

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