Oxygen saturation testing, or pulse oximetry, is a common way to test for sleep apnea. This convenient, at-home treatment can help Dr. Jeffrey Neal in his assessment as he works with you to determine whether you may have sleep apnea. We invite you to contact Who Does Your Teeth today if you feel that you suffer from sleep apnea and could benefit from a pulse oximetry test in Henrico, Virginia. Our dentist and team want to help you get a good night’s rest.
One of the most common ways to assist in diagnosing sleep apnea is with an oxygen saturation test. Also known as Pulse Oximetry, this test is a simple and inexpensive way to help determine if you suffer from sleep apnea. When you visit our dentist and receive a sleep apnea assessment, part of your assessment may include an at-home pulse oximetry test.
For a pulse oximetry test, our dentist will send you home with a small machine. Connected to the machine is a finger clip, which you will attach to one of your fingers (typically your index finger). While wearing the finger clip throughout the night, it will monitor and record the levels of oxygen that are in your blood. Once you have completed the test, you will return the machine to our dentist, and he will analyze the results in the form of a graph. If there are low or abnormal drops in your blood’s oxygen level, this may be an indication that you suffer from sleep apnea. When your airway becomes obstructed, your breathing will stop for a short time, which causes your blood oxygen levels to drop. These drops appear on the pulse oximetry results graph and can indicate sleep apnea.
In most cases, a pulse oximetry test is not the only test used to diagnose sleep apnea. Our dentist may recommend this test as only part of your sleep apnea assessment. When combined with other evaluations, our dentist can provide a more accurate assessment. For more information about sleep apnea or our oxygen saturation test, please call or visit us today!