Sleep. Breathe. Heal. Live. International dental and medical education to heal patients more efficiently.
Sleep. Breathe. Heal. Live. International dental and medical education to heal patients more efficiently.
For adults
Sleep apnea and craniofacial pain often share one root cause. Recognizing the symptoms below is the first step toward a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
Recognizing the signs
Common signs of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults include unexplained daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, and loud snoring, often with periods of silence followed by gasps.
Additional symptoms of sleep apnea include:
Adults are at higher risk if they are male, obese, of an increasing age, have anatomic abnormalities of the upper airway, have a family history of sleep apnea, use alcohol or sedatives frequently, smoke, or experience hypertension.
Why it matters
Sleep and pain disorders are commonly connected, so treating one symptom in isolation rarely reaches the origin.
Untreated sleep apnea is linked to increased heart rate and blood pressure, mood changes, and forgetfulness, not just daytime sleepiness.
Jaw and facial pain often trace back to airway, posture, or systemic causes rather than the joint alone.
Craniofacial pain and sleep-disordered breathing are commonly comorbid, so a complete evaluation looks at both together, not one in isolation.
Proper diagnosis, with emphasis on origin rather than symptoms alone, is key to long-term treatment results.
How our Centres treat it
Once a patient has been diagnosed with a sleep apnea condition, recommendations for treatment can include behavior and lifestyle changes, oral appliance therapy (OAT), CPAP wear (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device), and surgery. Oral appliance therapy is often the option for treatment: these appliances can be very effective for patients who suffer from snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea, and may also be recommended for severe sleep apnea patients who are unable to tolerate CPAP.
There are over 100 different appliances approved by the FDA for treating sleep apnea. Although these appliances have an appearance similar to mouth guards, they are unique and require specific design, fabrication and customized fitting to achieve successful treatment results through proper positioning of the lower jaw and tongue. The doctors of TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre are specifically trained and experienced in oral appliance therapy: they use advanced technology and specialized equipment to measure the airway, predict improvement, and determine custom appliance designs, and they monitor patient care for success and efficacy in treatment results. To maintain success, the appliances require regular follow-up and monitoring.
A patient considering oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea should seek care from dentists specifically trained and experienced in dental sleep medicine and custom appliance design.
Facial pain, headaches and jaw problems are frequently only a symptom secondary to a greater problem affecting the body, much like a fever is secondary to the common flu.
Craniofacial pain services for adults may include one or more of the following:
Proper diagnosis, with emphasis on origin rather than symptoms alone, is key to successful, long-term treatment results. After proper diagnosis, a specific non-surgical treatment plan for rehabilitation is developed for the unique needs of each individual patient.
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