Tong Dental Care – Gaithersburg, Maryland
Sleep Apnea

What is Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common and serious sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing during sleep. The airway repeatedly becomes blocked, limiting the amount of air that reaches your lungs. When this happens, you may snore loudly or making choking noises as you try to breathe. In many cases, apnea, or temporary pause in breathing, is caused by the tissue in the back of the throat collapsing. Your brain and body become oxygen deprived and you may wake up. This may happen a few times a night, or in more severe cases, several hundred times a night.

The muscles of the upper airway relax when you fall asleep. If you sleep on your back, gravity can cause the tongue to fall back. This narrows the airway, which reduces the amount of air that can reach your lungs. The narrowed airway causes snoring by making the tissue in the back of the throat vibrate as you breathe.

Sleep Apnea is possible in children and adults, so contact us for a Sleep Apnea consultation today. Find relaxation with our state-of-the-art Sleep Apnea treatments with Tong Dental Care in Gaithersburg.