Sleep apnea is a disabling pathology for many French people.

To find peaceful nights, they are forced to hide each time they rest.

The maxillofacial surgeon and stomatologist Jean-Baptiste Kerbrat explains in the program "Sans Rendez-vous" on Europe 1 how orthodontics can be a remedy for this disease. 

INTERVIEW

Snoring, headaches or even drowsiness: these are the most common symptoms of sleep apnea.

Affected people can take 10 to 30 second pauses in their breaths at night.

This pathology can be serious since it would increase the risk of stroke, but it is now relieved by orthodontic techniques.

The maxillofacial surgeon and stomatologist Jean-Baptiste Kerbrat was the guest of the program

Sans Rendez-vous

on Europe 1 to talk about this treatment.

What is the link between orthodontics and sleep apnea? 

Some sleep apnea can be directly caused by a dental and jaw problem.

A hollow, "V" shaped palate with overlapping teeth is usually a sign of an overly narrow cavity.

In this case, "you do not put your tongue on the palate. You therefore do not breathe through your nasal cavities but through your mouth. And there you risk having sleep apnea", explains Jean-Baptiste Kerbrat.

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In adulthood, the left and right jaws have already solidified.

It is therefore necessary to go through surgery before fitting a device to widen the palate.

"The surgeon will make a small line in the bone so that the jack that we put in the adult can move the two jaws apart," he explains.

During surgery, it is also necessary to readjust the lower jaw to "restore good congruence", specifies the stomatologist.

A heavy intervention

Sleep apnea is a disease caused by several things, including orthodontics.

The results follow each other over the long term and vary depending on the patient.

"But whatever the pathology, putting back the right size jaws will necessarily allow the patient to breathe better", assures Jean-Baptiste Kerbrat.

The surgeon also remembers one of his 50-year-old patients suffering from 70 apneas per hour.

The intervention allowed him to reduce this figure to three apneas per hour.

"His experience was metamorphosed," blows the stomatologist.

The intervention is still quite heavy, between 2 hours and 2 and a half hours in the operating room.

Thereafter, the patient cannot eat solid food for at least a week and the post-operative follow-up requires a one-month sick leave.