TMJ/TMD Treatment
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Snoring and Sleep Apnea: What Patients Should Know
Snoring is common, and snoring alone does not mean that someone has obstructive sleep apnea. However, loud or irregular snoring together with breathing pauses, gasping, choking or significant daytime sleepiness can be a reason to discuss sleep apnea with a medical professional.
This Westcoast Smile article was originally published in 2014 and has been updated to reflect current patient guidance. Dentists may hear about sleep symptoms during a health history or notice oral and craniofacial features that can be relevant to sleep-disordered breathing, but obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) requires appropriate medical evaluation and diagnosis.
If your main concern is jaw pain, clenching, grinding or a change in your bite, those are separate dental concerns that can be assessed by a dentist. See our TMJ/TMD information for that aspect of care.
Snoring versus obstructive sleep apnea
Snoring happens when tissues in the upper airway vibrate during sleep. Many people who snore do not have sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is different: the upper airway repeatedly becomes blocked during sleep, interrupting normal breathing and sleep.
The Public Health Agency of Canada describes sleep apnea as a serious sleep disorder and notes that people may not realize they are snoring, gasping or having breathing pauses during sleep. A bed partner or family member is often the first person to notice these signs.
Because ordinary snoring and OSA can overlap in how they sound, snoring by itself cannot diagnose sleep apnea. A proper assessment looks at symptoms, health history and, when indicated, sleep testing interpreted by an appropriate medical professional.
Signs that deserve medical evaluation
Health Canada and HealthLink BC advise discussing possible sleep apnea with a doctor when snoring is accompanied by symptoms or observations such as:
- loud snoring with pauses in breathing;
- gasping, choking or snorting during sleep;
- significant daytime sleepiness;
- morning headaches;
- difficulty concentrating or changes in memory; or
- sleep that does not feel restorative.
These signs do not prove that a person has OSA, but they are reasons to seek an appropriate assessment rather than trying to determine the diagnosis from snoring alone.
What role can a dentist play?
The American Dental Association notes that dentists can help identify possible risk factors or reported symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea during a medical history and oral examination. Depending on what is found, a dentist may recommend that the patient speak with a physician or sleep specialist for further evaluation.
This is an important boundary: a dental visit is not a substitute for the medical diagnosis of OSA. The dentist’s role may include recognizing concerns, supporting referral, assessing oral health and, when a medically diagnosed patient is referred for oral-appliance therapy, evaluating whether the teeth, gums, jaw joints and bite are suitable for that form of care.
Dr. Jeffrey Norden’s professional profile documents continuing education that has included oral appliances for sleep apnea and snoring. You can review his broader training and clinical background on the Dr. Jeffrey Norden profile.
Snoring, bruxism and jaw symptoms
Patients sometimes report several concerns at the same time: snoring, disrupted sleep, clenching or grinding, headaches and jaw discomfort. These symptoms can overlap, but the presence of one does not establish the cause of another.
If you have tooth wear, jaw pain, clicking, limited jaw movement or persistent clenching or grinding, a dental assessment can focus on those oral and jaw findings. Westcoast Smile’s separate resources explain TMJ/TMD assessment and Dr. David Cheng’s published work on HRV biofeedback, TMD and bruxism.
Those dental concerns should not be used to self-diagnose sleep apnea. When symptoms suggest a sleep-related breathing disorder, medical assessment remains the appropriate next step.
Where oral appliances fit
Treatment for diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea depends on the individual and the severity of the condition. Positive airway pressure therapy is commonly used. For selected adults, a physician or sleep specialist may also consider oral-appliance therapy as part of the treatment plan.
When oral-appliance therapy is prescribed, dental assessment matters because an appliance affects the teeth, bite and jaw. The ADA describes this as collaborative care between the medical professional managing the sleep disorder and a dentist with appropriate training to provide and monitor the appliance.
This article is educational and does not represent a diagnosis or a promise that a particular sleep-apnea treatment is appropriate for an individual patient.
What should you do if you are concerned?
If snoring is accompanied by breathing pauses, gasping, choking, significant daytime sleepiness or other concerning symptoms, discuss the possibility of sleep apnea with a physician or appropriate sleep-health professional.
If you also have dental concerns such as jaw pain, clenching, grinding, tooth wear or changes in your bite, those can be assessed separately by your dentist. Keeping the medical sleep evaluation and the dental assessment in their proper roles helps avoid assuming that one symptom explains another.
Have a dental concern involving your jaw, bite or tooth wear?
Westcoast Smile can assess dental concerns such as jaw pain, clenching, grinding and tooth wear. Suspected sleep apnea should be medically evaluated.