Treatment of Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Written by:For a long time different specialists in Dentistry and Stomatology have been conducting research to treat snoring and sleep apnea.The doctor. Pere Campistol Plana and Mr. Eusebi Omedes has designed a new appliance for the treatment of snoring and mild sleep apnea: OORS1 (Oral Orthoses of Sleep Relaxation).It is an apparatus that in a millimetric and simultaneous way allows to advance the jaw and increase the vertical dimension, increasing the permeability of the upper airways, avoiding blockage of the airways, improving breathing at night and neutralizing snoring and mild sleep apnea.
Operation of the appliance
It is based on the maintenance of an opening and an advent of the jaw respect to the upper jaw. This is due to a micro screw that properly located will determine the most suitable position to achieve optimum effectiveness.Thus, the screw can be placed with a horizontal inclination between 30 and 45 degrees, as appropriate. At lower tilting of the screw (30 °) greater advancement and lower lifting. If the angle (45 °) is increased, the advance will be equivalent to the opening.
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious respiratory disorder that can become deadly.Patients who have apneas, and are not treated, have a higher mortality rate. These patients are three to four times more likely to have work and traffic accidents, and their quality of life is markedly lower.Sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by repeated obstructions of the upper airways that prevent the flow of air to the lungs. Patients stop breathing repeatedly while sleeping up to 80 or 100 times in one night. This greatly reduces the flow of oxygen to vital organs with serious health consequences.While we sleep, the thighs that keep the airways permeable, relax the passage of air through the pharynx, soft tissues vibrate and cause snoring.Sometimes a decrease in the level of the airflow causes a decrease in the flow of oxygen in the blood, the brain is altered by this decrease of oxygen giving rise to various episodes of sleep interruption at night.
Effects of sleep apnea
SnoringAngst- Attention problems- Chronic Fatigue- Behavioral disorders, irritability- Depression- Fibromyalgia- Gastric reflux- Impotence and Erectile Dysfunction- Decreased sexual desire- Weight gain- Diabetes- Heart problems- Endocrine and metabolic disorders- Migraines- Decreased motor skills- Reduced sensory capacity
With OORS1, a decrease in episodes of apnea and hypopnea is achieved in more than half the cases, decreases snoring and improves the symptoms of daytime sleepiness.The specialists in Dentistry and Stomatology evaluate the suitability of each patient regarding the use of the device, making them answer a questionnaire. They also collaborate with different centers for the treatment of sleep disturbance by performing previously polysomnographic analyzes.They also perform initial cephalometric analyzes on patients to establish a temporal sequence of mandibular advancement. Control of the patient after 2 or 3 months of using the device by evaluating the remission of subjective symptoms is essential. This is the time to adjust the device and change it if necessary. The usual revisions of the patient are recommended especially in the first year of its use.
Advantages of the device:
- Allows you to speak for short periods of time.- Allows fluid intake at night.- Allows lateral displacements of the lower jaw, adapting the jaw to the cushion or where we rest to rest.
In addition to solving the problem of snoring and mild apneas, it can also solve occlusive problems such as bruxisms, discharge splints, etc.Bleaching treatments can be used at the same time using the same splints as bleaching cuvettes and as orthodontic treatment in the retentive phase.
