Back in March, Evesham Dental Health Team announced that we had invested in a 3D dental cone beam CT scanner to help make implant placement safer and quicker for our patients. We are thrilled to say we can now offer advanced solutions for sleep problems thanks to the scanner, new software and special training undertaken by our principal dentist, Dr Richard Colebourne.
This technology is called Sicat Air, and allows us to transform our patients’ sleeping issues, particularly those who snore or suffer from sleep apnoea, by showing them their airway has critical restrictions.
According to the British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association more than half of us in the UK have sleep problems at some time in our lives. Poor sleep can be caused by many factors including lifestyle, illness or environmental noise, such as a snoring partner.
There are more than 80 recognised sleep disorders, and two of the most common are bruxism (teeth grinding or clenching) and snoring.
Bruxism is a habit that affects around 8-10% of the population. It is characterised by grinding of the teeth and clenching of the jaw that causes tooth wear and breakage, disorders of the jaw (pain and limited movement) and headaches on waking.
Bruxism occurs in both children and adults but is most common in 25-44 year olds. However, most people grind and/or clench their teeth occasionally to a certain degree.
Bruxism takes place as a response to arousals during sleep indicating that it may be a sign of another sleep disorder. The strongest association has been found between sleep bruxism and obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition that is often accompanied by daytime sleepiness and non-restorative sleep. Sleep apnoea is a medical condition that causes the airway to close completely, preventing snorers from breathing.
The scanner and software is able to highlight the airway and it has the ability to measure airway volume to identify possible obstructive sleep apnoea sufferers. It helps provide more information, motivation and a better understanding of the compromising condition.
If you or your partner snore or suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea, please get in touch by calling 01386 422 833, emailing us or filling in our contact form. For your convenience we are open evenings and Saturday mornings and we look forward to hearing from you.
