65 Wall St, Albertville, AL

Albertville Dentists Treat VA Patients with Sleep Apnea

treating sleep apneaAlbertville, AL

Wall Street Dentistry is proud of our country’s veterans. It is our pleasure to provide exceptional dental care, including sleep apnea dentistry, for veterans in Albertville. Sleep apnea is a disorder that restricts airflow while sleeping. It often results in snoring or gasping for air loudly that results in frequent awakenings, chronic fatigue, and other common sleep apnea symptoms. Unfortunately, ignoring sleep apnea diminishes your quality of life from affecting your job and even impacting your relationships with friends and family. Not to mention, sleep apnea could increase the risk of severe health issues. The good news is that Wall Street Dentistry provides sleep apnea treatment for VA patients with a comfortable oral appliance. Today on the blog, we’ll share how oral appliance therapy works to relieve sleep apnea and how veterans living with this sleep-breathing disorder could benefit from treatment.

First, let’s take a look at sleep apnea – what it is, and how to tell if you have it.

Sleep apnea occurs when the airway is blocked, and airflow diminishes. These blockages may occur because of collapsed soft tissue in the throat, the tongue sliding back and blocking the airway, a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, and adenoids, or a large neck circumference. The problem with sleep apnea is that while the apneic episodes occur and breathing ceases temporarily, the brain awakens out of the deepest sleep cycle stage, signaling the body to resume breathing. Many people with unmanaged sleep apnea are completely unaware of these awakenings or the fact that they may have the condition since the primary symptom is snoring. Most of the time, snorers don’t know that they snore since they are asleep when it happens.

Unfortunately, according to various studies, ignoring sleep apnea could result in an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Depriving your body of air eventually takes a toll on the heart, brain, and other vital organs and could result in early death. Therefore, it’s essential to manage your sleep apnea and ensure you receive proper care for your condition. 

You might have sleep apnea if you snore or make loud gasping or choking sounds while sleeping. Another common sleep apnea symptom is chronic daytime fatigue. Perhaps you have a rigid bedtime routine where you go to bed and wake up on a consistent schedule every day, even on your days off, yet still feel tired and find it challenging to make it through the day. While other factors can impact energy level and mood, lack of sufficient sleep due to sleep apnea could certainly be the primary cause. Other signs that you may have sleep apnea include frequent awakenings throughout the night, morning headaches, moody behavior, forgetfulness, and sexual impotence. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should schedule a sleep apnea screening for veterans in Albertville.

In most cases, sleep apnea can be managed with proper care by a qualified doctor. Our Albertville dentists that accept VA dental insurance are highly qualified at screening patients for sleep apnea, as well as collaborating with a sleep specialist to provide effective treatment. Oral appliance therapy, also known as a Mandibular Advancement Device, effectively manages sleep apnea. The oral appliance is fabricated using impressions and molds of your mouth, which results in a comfortable fit. When worn at night or while sleeping, the oral appliance is designed to slightly reposition the lower jaw forward to encourage an open airway that isn’t blocked by collapsing soft tissue in the mouth and airway. If the dentist prescribes oral appliance therapy to help manage your sleep apnea, you’ll have follow-up appointments to evaluate your progress and for the dentist to make any adjustments necessary to your appliance.

How the VA pays for oral appliance therapy to treat sleep apnea

We are excited to let veterans know that the VA will pay for oral appliance therapy to treat sleep apnea prescribed by a qualifying doctor, like our sleep apnea dentists in Albertville. The process begins with your VA provider ordering the treatment via Community Care. Then a Community Care representative contacts Wall Street Dentistry as the preferred provider in the VA’s software. An appointment is scheduled for you to come in for a consult and get impressions taken. It may take a couple of weeks for the lab to make your appliance. A second appointment is scheduled for you to receive your oral appliance. Over the next six months, you meet with the dentist for adjustments and ensure effective management of your sleep apnea. We take care of documenting your file and providing to the VA proof of delivery regarding your treatment. At Wall Street Dentistry, we are more than happy to help you through the process of getting treatment for your sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea Treatment for Veterans in Albertville

If you’d like to learn more about sleep apnea treatment for veterans in Albertville or need to find out if the VA will pay for oral appliance therapy in Guntersville, contact Wall Street Dentistry by calling (256) 878-0525.

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