Sleep Apnea Treatment

Houston, TX

The long term health risks associated with sleep apnea can be very serious. Failure to treat the condition can result in a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, gastric reflux, or high blood pressure. For this reason, it is crucial that you seek sleep apnea treatment as soon as you notice any warning signs.

Dr. Heather Fleschler has been treating sleep apnea patients in the Houston areas of West University, River Oaks, Meyerland, and Bellaire since 2004. She can determine whether you are suffering from sleep apnea and create a customized treatment plan to provide you with the relief you need.

What Our Patients Have To Say

“Dr. Fleschler is an excellent, detail-oriented dentist! I’ve never had anyone better! She’s thorough and kind and never oversells her services. In addition, her staff: Lisa and Marcie, are amazing and friendly and extremely helpful. I recommend Dr. Fleschler to everyone/anyone!!!”

-Rabia I.

“I love Dr. Fleschler’s work, her office, and employees. I never wait long to be taken back for treatment. When I’m in the back I’m made really comfortable by her hygienist/assistant. I love this place!”

-Thresa P.

Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea

The most common symptom of sleep apnea is loud snoring. Other warning signs that you may suffer from this condition include:

  • Chronic fatigue
  • Daytime sleepiness
  • Waking up with a choking or gasping sensation
  • Reduced sex drive
  • Weight gain
  • Headaches in the morning
  • Short term memory problems
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Insomnia
  • Sore throat or dry mouth

If you suffer from one or more of these symptoms, Dr. Fleschler can perform a sleep evaluation to determine whether sleep apnea is the cause.

Diagnosing Your Condition

In order to develop the proper treatment plan, Dr. Fleschler must first diagnose your condition to determine whether you are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when your airway becomes blocked, or central sleep apnea, which is caused by a malfunction in the brain and central nervous system.

After evaluation, we will likely include overnight monitoring at a sleep center, or possibly a home sleep test will suffice. These are the two typical tests used to detect sleep apnea:

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options in Houston

Nocturnal Polysomnography

— At a sleep center, you are hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart, lung, and brain activity. It also records breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.

Home Sleep Tests

— Testing may be able to be done at home by using portable monitoring devices. These devices provide simplified testing, usually of your heart rate, blood oxygen level, airflow, and breathing patterns.

In certain situations, Dr. Fleschler may work with a local sleep center to more accurately diagnose the cause of your condition.

Treatment Options For Mild Cases Of Sleep Apnea

If you only suffer from a mild case of sleep apnea, Dr. Fleschler may simply recommend a series of lifestyle adjustments to keep your airway open while you sleep. These often include:

  • Cutting back on alcohol consumption
  • Quitting smoking
  • Losing weight
  • Modifying your sleeping position so that you are on your side instead of your back
  • Eliminating heavy meals right before bedtime
  • Using additional pillows to elevate your head and facilitate breathing while you sleep

In more severe cases of sleep apnea, these lifestyle adjustments may not be effective on their own. In these situations, Dr. Fleschler may explore other treatment options as well.

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options in Houston

Oral Appliance Therapy

With oral appliance therapy, you will wear a customized mouthpiece during sleep to maintain an open airway. These FDA-approved devices perform several important functions to prevent your soft tissue from collapsing and blocking your airway:

  • Stabilize your tongue and jaw to eliminate any airway obstructions
  • Reposition your soft palate, tongue, and lower jaw
  • Support your muscles to help prevent a collapse of your airway

Dr. Fleschler typically prefers oral appliance therapy as her sleep apnea treatment method of choice due to the effective results that can be achieved.

CPAP

For decades, CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) was considered the gold standard for sleep apnea treatment. It is a device that uses a mask worn over your nose and mouth to deliver a constant flow of air pressure while you sleep. This air pressure helps keep your airway open all night.

While CPAP is an effective sleep apnea treatment method, many patients find the device to be rather uncomfortable and as a result, don’t use it as often as necessary to achieve their desired results. For this reason, Dr. Fleschler will often recommend oral appliance therapy before trying CPAP.

woman sleeping wearing cpap device for sleep apnea

Can Sleep Apnea Be Treated Surgically?

If sleep apnea patients don’t respond to oral appliance therapy, CPAP, or other non-surgical treatments, surgery may be necessary. Surgery is tailored to the area of obstruction in each particular patient. These areas of obstruction can be anywhere in the upper respiratory tract, including the nose, tongue, and throat. Here are the most common surgical approaches, along with brief descriptions:

Nasal Surgery

— The septum, tubinates, and the nasal valve often contribute to obstruction. Surgery may straighten out the septum and reduce the size of the turbinates. If the nasal valve is weak and tends to collapse, cartilage can be placed to strengthen it.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

— This procedure is the most common surgery. It removes tissue from the soft palate and the pharynx. It will also remove the tonsils if they still remain.

Soft Palate Implants

— Three polyester rods are placed into the soft palate to stiffen it.

Hyoid Advancement

— This procedure repositions the small hyoid bone to keep the tongue from falling back and obstructing the airway.

Tongue Advancement

— This procedure involves advancing one of the main tongue muscles forward.

Tongue Base Reduction

— The base of the tongue can be reduced, either by using repeated treatment with radiofrequency waves or by excision.

Lower Jaw Advancement

— This complicated procedure achieves enlargement of the entire upper airway through the expansion of the skeletal framework that encircles the airway.

Sleep Apnea FAQs

There are certain characteristics/risk factors that make it more likely someone would suffer from sleep apnea. These are:

  • Having a neck circumference over 17 inches
  • Being obese
  • Having overly large tonsils and adenoids
  • Having a small lower jaw with a deep overbite
  • Having a family history of sleep apnea

Leaving sleep apnea untreated is a bad idea; you’re basically rolling the dice on various serious health concerns. Your body needs consistent deep sleep to repair tissues and other body processes; it does this while we sleep. Sleep apnea can cause serious damage to your body, even shortening your life. Not treating sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, automobile accidents, diabetes, depression, and other health problems.

Positional sleep therapy is a behavioral strategy used to treat what is known as “positional sleep apnea,” which generally occurs when a person sleeps on his or her back. The idea is to keep the patient sleeping on their side, rather than their back. This therapy may include wearing a special device around your waist or back that keeps you sleeping on your side. There is also another option that uses “vibrotactile feedback.” This is worn on the back of the neck, and when the patient starts to sleep on their back it gently vibrates. This doesn’t wake the person, but it does signal the body to change positions.

There are certain lifestyle choices that could be leading to your sleep apnea. These changes may help you reduce the effects of sleep apnea:

  • Maintain a healthy weight — People who are overweight, especially those who carry weight around the jaw and neck, are more likely to have sleep apnea than those who maintain a healthy weight. The extra fat and tissue around the neck can easily sag and create a blockage in the airway.
  • Avoid alcohol or drugs — Alcohol and certain drugs act to relax the central nervous system. This can cause the muscles of the throat to relax, leading to blocking of the airway.
  • Quit Smoking — Cigarette smoking decreases lung capacity and it shrinks blood vessels. Both of these play a part in sleep apnea in smokers. Quitting will improve the way your body breathes.
  • Address allergies — If you have allergies, taking a decongestant before you go to bed may improve airflow through your nose.

The long term health risks associated with sleep apnea can be very serious. Failure to treat the condition can result in a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, gastric reflux, or high blood pressure. For this reason, it is crucial that you seek sleep apnea treatment as soon as you notice any warning signs.

Dr. Heather Fleschler has been treating sleep apnea patients in the Houston areas of West University, River Oaks, Meyerland, and Bellaire since 2004. She can determine whether you are suffering from sleep apnea and create a customized treatment plan to provide you with the relief you need.

If you think you may be suffering from sleep apnea, please call 713-660-6500 today to schedule a sleep apnea evaluation at our Houston office.

Schedule A Consultation

To schedule a consultation or to learn more about our Sleep Apnea treatments, contact us today at 713-660-6500 or fill out an online contact form and our office will be in touch with you. Our practice serves Houston, TX and the surrounding areas.

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