If you're tired of your significant other elbowing you in the middle of the night, pinching your nose closed as you snore, glaring at you over breakfast, or if you're just plain tired, you may want to ask your dentist if you grind your teeth. If so, you may be suffering from sleep apnea, according to dentist Mark Burhenne, who founded AsktheDentist.com.
Failures to detect medical conditions are not always, and perhaps not even often instances of medical malpractice. We have to be our own best advocates and not be afraid to question our medical providers. Having said that, it is worthwhile to ask your dentist, perhaps an unlikely source of information on sleep apnea, if he or she believes that you have a problem that should be addressed.
"Recent studies have shown that teeth grinding, also called bruxism, is a major indicator for obstructive sleep apnea," Dr. Burhenne writes for CNN. "The key word is "obstructive" — the thing 'obstructing' the airway being the jaw, which falls back as the brain approaches the deepest stages of sleep and the muscles of the airway fully relax." The sleeping person begins to snore when the airway becomes blocked. "Once the brain senses that breathing is dangerously compromised, it gets out of the deepest stage of sleep to regain control of the jaw muscles and reopen the airway, and keep you alive and breathing," according to Burhenne. Grinding, or bruxism, is one way this manifests. The result of that? Sore jaws, clicking jaws, worn-down front teeth, sensitive teeth, gum recession, headaches, or earaches. Worse, untreated sleep apnea could lead to Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, weight gain, depression, mood swings, or a weakened immune system.
If you already suffer from depression and are taking medication to manage it, that drug may be causing the bruxism as it stimulates the brain, states YourDentistryGuide.com. Once your dentist determines that you grind your teeth, he or she may recommend a number of treatments, including a bite plate, orthodontic surgery, yoga for stress reduction, or even Botox to relax the jaw muscles. "People who are diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea often report that the process has given them their life back," Burhenne writes. "Quality of sleep affects most of the things that help us enjoy life: appearance, well-being, outlook on life, energy level, patience, ability to cope with stress and how we interact with loved ones."
About the Editors: The Shapiro Lewis Appleton & Favaloro personal injury law firm, whose attorneys work out of offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, Eastern Shore Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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