Teeth: They Do Your Body Good

Dental problems also can cause obstructive sleep apnea, where the soft tissues at the back of the throat close off the airway and block oxygen from flowing to the lungs. Sleep apnea can lead to health problems including high blood pressure, an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, depression, and a three-times-greater chance for auto accidents.

Dentist Jonathan Parker of the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Dental Treatment Center in Edina is leading the charge with dental techniques to nip sleep apnea in the bud: Parker has found that many people with sleep apnea have a narrower dental arch or their teeth are tipped, resulting in a “crowded” tongue. In turn the tongue, looking for a place to go, obstructs the airway and impairs breathing, swallowing, and sleeping.

Once a sleep medicine physician has diagnosed a patient and recommended an oral appliance, the patient should go to the dentist. After they fix the crowding with an appliance, Parker says, the sleep apnea—and resulting headaches, drowsiness, and heart problems—tend to dissipate.

It’s gratifying work for Parker and other dentists who know that in addition to keeping their patients’ mouths healthy, they can improve well-being from head to toe.