Bad Dental Health and Sleep Disorders: How Can One Problem Make Another Worse?
The relationship between sleep quality and dental health is an interesting but often overlooked aspect of overall health. Sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, and Willis–Ekbom disease can greatly affect the overall health of your gums, teeth, and jaws. On the other hand, poor oral health like bruxism, periodontitis, and xerostomia can lead to or exacerbate sleep issues. Understanding this two-way interaction is critical to providing comprehensive health care.
The Impact of Sleep Disturbances on Dental Health
The most common sleep problems that affect oral health include apnea/hypopnea syndrome, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome (RLS).
Apnoea/Hypopnea Syndrome
Apnoea is a condition in which the upper airway becomes partially or completely blocked during sleep. This obstruction results in difficulty breathing, often causing loud snoring and choking while asleep. Here’s how it affects your oral health:
- Apnoea/hypopnea is often associated with teeth grinding/clenching. Excessive stress on your teeth can lead to wear, fractures, or even jaw pain.
- Dry mouth. One common symptom of apnoea is dry mouth. This is due to mouth breathing during sleep. Lack of saliva increases the risk of caries, gum disease, and oral infections.
- Periodontal disease. Apnoea is often accompanied by an increased risk of pyorrhea. Repeated breathing difficulties and inflammation damage periodontal tissue. As a result, the body's ability to fight disease decreases.
Thus, apnoea/hypopnea syndrome is a significant cause of poor oral health. Addressing this condition can not only improve sleep quality and overall health but also play a role in maintaining good oral health.
Insomnia
Insomnia is usually characterized by a lack of adequate sleep duration or quality (or both) over an extended period. It affects oral health in several ways. Thus, people suffering from sleeplessness may neglect the rules of oral hygiene, which increases the risk of dental problems. Dry mouth is another common side effect of insomnia. It reduces saliva production and provokes various oral diseases. But fortunately, some drugs like Ambien (Zolpidem) help quickly and effectively deal with insomnia and normalize the sleep cycle.
Restless Legs Syndrome – Willis–Ekbom Disease
RLS is a neurological sleep disorder characterized by the urge to move the legs involuntarily, often with discomfort. This leads to daytime fatigue and affects overall health, including oral condition.
Oral Health Problems and Their Impact on Sleep
Oral health, in turn, has a noteworthy impact on sleep quality and can cause sleep-related problems. Let's consider some examples:
- Pain and discomfort in the oral cavity. Dental problems such as toothache, infections, and oral lesions can cause pain and discomfort that disrupt sleep. Throbbing or sharp pain associated with oral disease can make it difficult to fall asleep or maintain restful sleep throughout the night.
- People with dry mouth may experience discomfort while sleeping because reduced saliva production causes a dry mouth sensation.
- Teeth grinding. People with bruxism may also experience sleep disturbances. The noise from teeth grinding can be so loud that it disrupts sleep patterns. Bruxism may also cause jaw pain and discomfort. So, it is rather difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position.
Sleep-disordered breathing is worth mentioning as well. Tooth decay, gum disease, malocclusion, etc. can lead to partial or complete airway obstruction, leading to sleep-disordered breathing and poor sleep quality.
How Can Visiting the Dentist Help You Sleep Better?
Dentists are trained to recognize signs of sleep-related oral conditions, such as teeth grinding and sleep apnoea. They can identify the problem at an early stage and prescribe appropriate treatment. They may also recommend seeing a sleep specialist for a comprehensive evaluation. A complex treatment plan helps address the problem more quickly and efficiently.
Special medications may be needed, including imidazopyridine drugs such as Ambien (Zolpidem), as well as natural sedative herbs, meditation, deep breathing techniques, professional teeth cleaning, and lifestyle changes (eating healthy, being physically active, avoiding bad habits), etc. Don't put off visiting your doctor to find out what's best for your particular case.
