Is my snoring dangerous? A dentist's checklist.

Snoring is a noise. Sleep apnea is a medical condition that happens to be noisy. You can't tell them apart from inside the bed, but you can tell whether you belong in the screening line.

The checklist

• You snore most nights, loudly enough to be heard through a door
• You wake up unrefreshed after seven or eight hours
• Someone has seen you stop breathing or gasp
• You wake with a dry mouth or a sore jaw
• You have high blood pressure, especially if it's hard to control
• You fall asleep watching TV or at red lights
• You get up more than once a night to use the bathroom
• You grind your teeth

Two or more of these is worth a conversation. Four or more, we'd push you toward a sleep test.

What you're risking by waiting

Untreated apnea raises your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, and it steals years of decent sleep in the meantime. This is the part most people don't hear until they're already in treatment.

Your body doesn't get used to it. It just stops complaining.

Why a dentist is asking

We see the evidence before anybody else: worn teeth, scalloped tongue, narrow palate, a tired face at 8am. And we can treat mild to moderate apnea with a custom oral appliance — no hose, no mask, and something people actually wear every night.

Your next step

Take the 60-second assessment or mention it at your next cleaning. If a sleep test is warranted, we coordinate it — including home-test options — and then we talk about treatment.