At Geelan Dental Care, we want our patients fully informed and prepared to deal with any issue that might impair their dental health. While most of what we treat tends to involve issues within the mouth, such as accumulated plaque or misaligned teeth, there are other functions of the body that can affect your overall oral well-being. Airway and breathing complications can have unexpected consequences on the state of your mouth. We can determine if this is an issue for you through the careful use of airway testing.
request an appointmentSIGNS THAT YOU MAY NEED AIRWAY TESTING
There are many symptoms that can indicate that airway testing might be the next step to reach your ideal dental health. If you have a habit of breathing primarily through your mouth, this can be a source of airway issues. When you breathe through the nose, dirty air is often sterilized by nitric oxide within your sinuses. But, if you breathe through the mouth only, air that contains pollutants or microbes can pass through your mouth and straight on to your adenoids and tonsils. This can cause infection and inflammation in your throat along with negative effects on your dental health.
Sleep apnea is another problem that can indicate a need for airway testing. An apneic event is when breathing stops for 10 or more seconds during your sleep. Multiple such events while you sleep can mimic the experience of choking and cause you to experience an increase in stress hormones. This can cause many problems throughout your body and, because your mouth is often open during these events, can allow plaque to bind much more easily to and around your teeth.
HOW CAN AIRWAY TESTING HELP ME?
Through the use of airway testing, our dentists can get the information they need to know for sure whether you suffer from a disorder that is negatively affecting your dental health. Evaluating the condition of your airway helps us make sure that your teeth remain healthy and in their correct alignment. If you suffer from bruxism or an uncontrollable tongue that causes damage over time to your teeth, airway testing can help bring these issues to light so that we can take action against them. Once airway testing has finished, we can decide how best to help you or what medical professional we can refer you to to best address your continued oral health.
WHAT DO WE EVALUATE DURING AIRWAY TESTING?
When it comes to airway testing, the first factor we want to assess is whether you have a history of signs and symptoms. If you routinely suffer from poor sleep quality or nasal congestion, knowing this can help inform our dentists on how best to proceed. The next step is to take a look inside your mouth and evaluate clinical signs of problems, such as swollen tonsils or muscle tenderness. Finally, we move on to screening and testing. After a home sleep test and imaging, we can thoroughly narrow down what affects you on a medical and dental level and then proceed accordingly.
By carefully evaluating your airway and what issues may be troubling you, we can ensure the best possible course of treatment for you. If this process interests you and you want to learn more about airway testing, call us today at (503) 223-1322.