Are You Taking Your Treatment Seriously?
When we prescribe sleep apnea or TMD treatment, the goal is to get you feeling better and improve your overall health. Sometimes, when treatment is going well, a patient may become less disciplined about their treatment protocol because, in their mind, since they’re feeling better, they don’t need to be as strict anymore. Have you ever done that? If so, please be aware that it’s a mistake. Not sticking to your prescribed TMD or sleep apnea treatment can lead to escalating and potentially severe health consequences.
Keep reading for more information!
The Dangers of Not Sticking to TMD Treatment
TMD treatment is designed to relieve pain and minimize damage to the jaw joint. Often, treatment progresses in stages, with the final and longest stage being maintenance. The maintenance stage is ongoing and most often when patients tend to fall out of compliance. Since TMD is not always curable, but only manageable, continued maintenance is vital to prevent a recurrence. However, interrupting treatment at any stage can cause major setbacks and even make things worse for you.
When you become lax about TMD treatment, you invite worsening jaw pain and stiffness, headaches, and joint damage, which can have far-reaching consequences for your oral and overall health. The pain you experience may disrupt your sleep and daily activities, which can cause you to suffer emotionally or affect your performance at work. Let’s not forget that TMD has major oral health consequences, including teeth grinding.
The Dangers of Not Sticking to Sleep Apnea Treatment
Treatment of sleep apnea helps you breathe consistently during sleep and should not be interrupted, if at all possible, because sleep apnea is often a condition you must manage throughout your life. Because of the long-term nature of sleep apnea treatment, patients may grow weary of it or find it inconvenient.
With sleep apnea treatment, non-compliance can have pretty serious adverse effects, like raising your blood pressure and, therefore, your risk of heart attack and stroke. Not to mention, recurring sleep disruptions will once again affect your concentration, decision-making, and can make you feel anxious, depressed, or generally irritable. If you interrupt your sleep apnea treatment, you also risk daytime drowsiness and fatigue, which will undoubtedly impact your work and social life.
Remember Why You Came to Us in the First Place
You sought treatment for your TMD or sleep apnea condition because you wanted to feel better and become healthier. If that is happening, congratulations! Your treatment is working, and you should continue to follow the plan your doctor created for you. Suddenly stopping treatment or scaling back without guidance from your doctor will only cause your initial symptoms to return, sometimes even worse than before.
If you have questions or concerns about your current TMD or sleep apnea treatment plan, please don’t hesitate to call your doctor at our Silverdale, Federal Way, or Bellevue, WA location. The most important thing is that you are comfortable, happy, and feeling good.
