“You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. Diagnosis is the doorway to healing.”
Sleep apnea is one of the most underdiagnosed yet life-altering conditions in the United States. It sneaks up on people quietly—through snoring, fatigue, headaches, brain fog, and weight gain—until it starts to interfere with every part of their life. And often, they have no idea what’s happening.
Many people think sleep apnea only affects older men who snore loudly. In reality, it affects people of all genders, all ages, and often doesn’t sound like snoring at all. It can show up as grinding teeth. Restless legs. Morning anxiety. Or the kind of tired that doesn’t go away after eight hours in bed. It hides in plain sight.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we work with dental practices to help change that. Dentists are in a unique position to identify sleep apnea early—and guide patients through the right steps to get diagnosed. But to do that, we need to understand how the process works and why it’s so essential.
This article breaks it all down: what sleep apnea really is, how diagnosis happens, and how dentists can play a pivotal role in getting patients the answers they’ve been missing.
What Sleep Apnea Actually Looks Like
Sleep apnea is a condition where breathing repeatedly stops or becomes very shallow during sleep. These breathing interruptions pull the brain out of deep sleep—even if the person doesn’t fully wake up. This means the sleep cycle gets broken over and over again throughout the night, often without the sleeper realizing it.
There are three main types. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common and occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax too much during sleep, causing the airway to collapse. Central sleep apnea, which is less common, happens when the brain doesn’t send proper signals to the breathing muscles. And then there’s complex or mixed sleep apnea, which involves both.
Obstructive sleep apnea can lead to dangerous dips in oxygen, fragmented sleep, and chronic stress on the heart, brain, and nervous system. Over time, it increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, memory loss, mood disorders, and metabolic problems. It can also make chronic pain and inflammation worse, which is why many patients in dental or medical practices are experiencing it without a diagnosis.
Why It Often Goes Undiagnosed
The problem with sleep apnea is that it happens when you’re asleep—when you’re not aware enough to notice what your body is doing. Most people don’t wake up gasping or choking. They just wake up groggy, irritable, or already needing a nap by 10 a.m. They may snore, grind their teeth, or toss and turn all night, but they write it off as stress or poor sleep habits.
Even when symptoms are mentioned to a doctor, the connection to sleep apnea isn’t always made. Fatigue gets blamed on a busy schedule. Headaches get treated with painkillers. Anxiety and mood changes are chalked up to burnout.
And so the cycle continues. Year after year, patients get more tired, more frustrated, and more disconnected from what’s actually going on. Until someone—often a dentist—asks the right questions and sees the right signs.
The Dentist’s Role in Early Screening
Dental professionals are in a perfect position to notice patterns that other providers may miss. During a routine exam, a dentist might spot a narrow jaw, tongue scalloping, worn-down teeth from grinding, or a high-arched palate. All of these could indicate a restricted airway or chronic mouth breathing—signs that suggest sleep-disordered breathing is affecting the patient.
Because dentists see patients more frequently than most physicians, they can start the conversation early. When a patient mentions chronic fatigue, dry mouth, or jaw tension, it opens the door for a deeper discussion. And that’s where sleep apnea screening begins.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we help practices build systems around these moments. We train hygienists and doctors to ask the right questions, recognize subtle signs, and guide patients through what comes next without fear or overwhelm.
The Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Process
Once sleep apnea is suspected, the next step is getting a formal diagnosis. This usually involves a sleep study, which can take one of two forms: an at-home sleep test or an in-lab study called polysomnography.
Most patients start with a home sleep test. It’s a small device, worn for a single night, that tracks breathing patterns, oxygen levels, sleep position, and airflow. Patients take it home, sleep in their own bed, and return it the next day. It’s convenient, affordable, and effective—especially for identifying obstructive sleep apnea in adults.
In more complex cases, or when central sleep apnea is suspected, an in-lab study may be needed. This test monitors not just breathing, but also brain activity, eye movement, muscle tone, and heart rhythms throughout the night. It gives a detailed picture of what the body and brain are doing during sleep and helps rule out other conditions.
Once the data is collected, it’s reviewed by a board-certified sleep physician who confirms the diagnosis and assigns a severity rating based on the number of apneic events per hour. From there, the treatment plan is built—one that may involve CPAP, oral appliance therapy, lifestyle changes, or a combination.
Why Diagnosis Is the Turning Point
Everything starts with the diagnosis. It’s the moment when vague symptoms get a name. When years of exhaustion suddenly make sense. And when hope becomes real again.
Without a diagnosis, there’s no access to proper treatment. And without treatment, the risks compound. Sleep apnea doesn’t just make life harder—it shortens life expectancy, affects relationships, and erodes mental clarity.
But once a patient knows what they’re dealing with, they can start to heal. They can explore options. They can take ownership of their care. And often, they feel better in just a few weeks.
That’s why early diagnosis is so powerful. And that’s why dental teams need to be part of the process.
What Dental Practices Can Do
Dental teams don’t have to diagnose sleep apnea—but they can absolutely change the game when it comes to getting patients the help they need.
By integrating screening questions into health history forms, educating patients during hygiene appointments, and knowing how to refer for testing, dentists can become trusted guides. And when sleep apnea is confirmed, they can offer oral appliance therapy for patients who can’t tolerate CPAP.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we help practices develop every part of that workflow—from staff training to documentation, patient communication, and long-term follow-up. When done well, this kind of care doesn’t just treat teeth—it transforms lives.
