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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Sleep Apnea and Orthodontics

Do you suffer from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD)? If so, you may be at risk for obstructive sleep apnea. This condition is believed to be severely underdiagnosed, leaving many people untreated and at serious risk of sleep deprivation. However, Dr. Gregory Ross is an expert in orthodontics and dental sleep medicine, and since some people are unaware of the connection between those specialties, we want patients to know what we can do to help.


Bruxism, or nighttime teeth grinding, is often the result of the body’s air passages being blocked by the position of the tongue. As the body attempts to open a passage by moving the mandible, the teeth grind together, putting them at risk for tilting or cracking and causing pain to the temporomandibular joint. Sleep apnea also causes the patient to be taken out of deep sleep throughout the night, causing them to be fatigued the next day and increasing their long-term risk for heart disease and depression.


At Ross Orthodontics, we can provide patients with custom-fitted night guards. These oral appliances protect the teeth from being eroded or broken by night time jaw movement. Dr. Ross is also a long-time researcher of sleep apnea and can provide more complex oral appliances to better position the mandible to avoid airway obstruction. We also use orthodontic treatment to correct tilted teeth.


To learn more about Ross Orthodontics, visit Smiles by Ross. Offices are located in Forest Lake, Minnesota and Hudson, Wisconsin.


 

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