Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the muscles in your throat, such as the tongue and soft palate, temporarily relax at night, leading to a constriction of the airways. When the throat muscles relax, the airway is cut off, leading to a temporary pause in your breathing. Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea generally need behavioral therapy, CPAP therapy, oral appliance therapy, or, in rare cases, surgery.

Yes. It is completely possible that you have sleep apnea without snoring. If your breathing temporarily stops and starts several times at night, you have sleep apnea, even if you don’t snore. Some of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea (other than snoring) include insomnia, hypersomnia, mental exhaustion, lack of attention, and constant fatigue. If you identify these signs and symptoms, you should consult a sleep apnea dentist.

Your sleep apnea dentist will confirm the effectiveness of your oral appliance through an assessment of your sleep apnea symptoms, clinical follow-ups, and overnight sleep tests. After starting your oral appliance therapy, you will need regular follow-up sessions to evaluate your progress and the alleviation of sleep apnea symptoms.

Sleep apnea treatment is a medically necessary treatment because sleep apnea can be dangerous. As such, most medical insurance providers and dental insurance providers cover sleep apnea treatment and oral appliance therapy. Depending on your unique insurance policy, you might even be eligible for complete coverage of your sleep apnea treatment.

Sleep apnea is officially diagnosed by an MD doctor. If you have the symptoms of sleep apnea, you need to visit your physician for a sleep study or at-home sleep test, which will diagnose the severity and type of sleep apnea. Once you have a sleep apnea diagnosis, you can visit your dentist for your oral appliance therapy.

The measurement of the severity of sleep apnea is based on a system called the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which measures the number of breathing pauses per hour. Mild obstructive sleep apnea has an AHI between 5 and 15, moderate obstructive sleep apnea has an AHI of 15 to 30, and severe obstructive sleep apnea has an AHI greater than 30.