Dr. Nammy talks about the problem of sleep apnea, the problems it causes, and why fixing the problem is essential to your overall health, as well as your dental health.
So sleep apnea is very concerning. It actually affects a huge population, billions of people. What actually happens during sleep apnea is that the tongue gets in the way so you’re not able to breathe properly and you stop breathing several times during the night. So what needs to happen is we need to get the tongue out of the way so that you can breathe properly at night.
The goal with sleep apnea is really nasal breathing, so, breathing through your nose. When you’re breathing through your nose, you’re actually getting oxygen, which is the most essential nutrient of your entire body. Oxygen helps you live longer, it helps repair cellular functions. It also actually helps you reduce anxiety. So it’s very important. And sleep apnea also causes a lot of other problems. If you’re not able to breathe through your nose, if you’re breathing through your mouth, it causes dry mouth. So usually what I find in patients with sleep apnea is a lot of cavities, a lot of gum disease, and it’s just a plethora of problems that you really don’t need to have. So let’s focus on fixing the problem. Let’s focus on having you breathe better and live better.