Christopher R. Morris DMD Littleton Dentist

Your dentist could save your life!

The most life-changing treatment a dentist can provide is to treat sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can lead to having a heart attack in your sleep. Treating apnea can prevent a heartache and be life-saving. Two treatment options are a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure breathing machine) or a mouthguard made by a dentist.

As many as 25% of adults have sleep apnea with 75% of those people being undiagnosed. That is 25 million Americans that have untreated sleep apnea. You might have apnea if:
- you snore
- you grind your teeth while sleeping
- you have GERD / acid reflux / heartburn during the night
- you wake up and feel out of breath
- you wake up during the night and can't get back to sleep easily
- you sleep 6 or more hours and wake up tired.

Treating sleep apnea lowers the risk of a heart attack, improves sleep quality while decreasing snoring, teeth grinding, and acid reflux.

You can find out if you have apnea by doing a sleep study. We offer a home sleep study and make sleep apnea mouthguards that can be billed through your dental or medical insurance. Call or text (303) 795-1443 to find out more.

https://www.ada.org/en/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/sleep-apnea-obstructive

Did you know that the mouth is a part of the body?

That's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but dental insurance and medical insurance are separate systems, and we often forget that the health of the body can affect the health of the mouth. Your dentist might see in your mouth issues that relate to your overall health.

Teeth grinding + acid reflux eroding teeth + snoring = signs of sleep apnea

Gum disease is related to heart disease or diabetes.

So you may find that at your dental appointment you will have your blood pressure checked, or you'll be asked about the medications you take.

A healthy mouth is part of overall health, and we are here to help!

Oral Systemic Health Oral Systemic Health covers theories and research on the connections between oral health and overall health.

It's a common experience to feel anxious about a dental appointment. We've seen all levels of anxious patients, and can meet your needs where you are.

Besides these tips from the ADA, we offer different levels of sedation, from prescriptions that decrease anxiety to IV moderate sedation. Our goal is that your dental treatment always be a pleasant experience.

Anxiety Scared of going to the dentist? Here are three strategies to try to make your next dental visit a positive experience.