Having an obstructed airway is one of the key problems patients with sleep apnea suffer from. This obstruction is often caused by collapsed throat tissue or the tongue folding back into the mouth as a person sleeps. At MD DC Sleep Solutions, we try to alleviate this issue by providing treatments, oral appliances and breathing exercises for airway expansion in Annapolis, Maryland.
Some natural techniques include:
- Breathing through the nose.
- Using a humidifier, which allows moist air to clear congestion and mucus, making nose breathing easier.
- Resting the tongue naturally at the roof of the mouth, which encourages your jaw to stay closed.
- Abstaining from mouth breathing, which pushes your jaw open and collapses the soft tissues of your throat.
Many of our custom oral appliances, also known as mouth guards, help encourage these behaviors and prevent the jaw from falling open and closing the airway. This helps keep your airway open so your body receives the oxygen it needs and your sleep remains uninterrupted.
For more information about airway expansion, call our sleep apnea office at 410-224-4500 and schedule a consultation with our skilled dentist, Dr. Gena Schultheis. We look forward to meeting with you and helping you sleep well and live better.
