Sleep Apnea Treatment in Calgary

November 10, 2025

Do you wake up tired even after a full night’s sleep?

Does your partner complain about your loud snoring?

You might be dealing with sleep apnea, a common condition that affects thousands of Calgarians.

The good news is that effective sleep apnea treatment options are available right here in Calgary, including advanced surgical solutions when other treatments don’t work.

Sleep apnea is more than just snoring. It’s a serious condition where your breathing stops and starts throughout the night.

These pauses can happen dozens or even hundreds of times while you sleep, leaving you exhausted and putting stress on your heart.

If you’re struggling with sleep apnea, Calgary Oral Surgery Group’s four locations across Calgary and Airdrie offer expert care to help you breathe easier and sleep better.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea happens when the muscles in your throat relax too much during sleep, blocking your airway. This type is called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and it’s the most common form of the condition.

When your airway gets blocked, your brain wakes you up just enough to start breathing again. You might not even remember these wake-ups in the morning, but they stop you from getting the deep, restful sleep your body needs.

Common signs of sleep apnea include:

Loud snoring that bothers others
Gasping or choking sounds during sleep
Waking up with a dry mouth or headache
Feeling tired all day, even after sleeping
Trouble focusing or remembering things
Mood changes or feeling irritable

Sleep apnea doesn’t just make you tired. Over time, it can lead to serious health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. That’s why getting proper treatment matters so much.

Getting Diagnosed in Calgary

Before you can start any sleep apnea treatment in Canada, you need an official diagnosis.

You can’t simply decide you have sleep apnea and choose a treatment. A sleep study confirms whether you have the condition and how severe it is.

Here’s how the process typically works:

Visit your family doctor and talk about your symptoms
Get a referral to a sleep specialist
Complete a sleep study (either at home or in a clinic)
Review results with the specialist
Discuss treatment options based on your test results

Calgary has several excellent facilities that provide sleep testing, including Peak Sleep Clinic (with multiple locations across the city), Centre for Sleep & Human Performance, and Maple Respiratory Group.

These clinics use special equipment to track your breathing, heart rate, and oxygen levels while you sleep.

The Canadian Thoracic Society sets guidelines for wait times. If you have severe sleep apnea along with other health problems, or if you work in a safety-sensitive job, you should get assessed within four weeks. For other cases, the maximum wait time is six months.

Treatment Options for Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea treatment works best when different medical experts work together. Your care team might include sleep doctors, breathing specialists, ear-nose-throat doctors, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Each specialist brings different knowledge to help find the right solution for you.

CPAP Therapy

Most people start with CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy. This treatment uses a mask that you wear at night. The mask connects to a machine that pushes air into your throat, keeping your airway open while you sleep.

CPAP works well for many patients, but some people find the mask uncomfortable or have trouble getting used to the machine. If you’ve tried CPAP and couldn’t make it work, you’re not alone. Lots of patients struggle with it.

Oral Appliances

Some patients do well with a dental device that looks like a sports mouthguard. These appliances move your jaw forward slightly to keep your airway open. They work best for mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Lifestyle Changes

Losing weight, sleeping on your side, avoiding alcohol before bed, and quitting smoking can all help reduce sleep apnea symptoms. These changes work well alongside other treatments.

When Surgery Becomes an Option

If you’ve tried CPAP or an oral appliance and they didn’t work, or if you simply cannot tolerate them, surgery might be your best choice.

For patients with severe sleep apnea or specific jaw structure issues, surgical treatment can provide excellent long-term results.

Surgical Treatment: Bimaxillary Advancement

One of the most effective surgical treatments for sleep apnea is called maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), also known as bimaxillary advancement or double jaw advancement surgery. While the name sounds complicated, the concept is straightforward.

How MMA Surgery Works

During MMA surgery, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon carefully moves both your upper jaw (maxilla) and lower jaw (mandible) forward by about 10 millimeters. This movement creates more space in your airway, making it much harder for the soft tissues in your throat to block your breathing at night.

The surgeon makes precise cuts in the jawbones, moves them forward, and secures them in place with small plates and screws. This enlarges the airway space in both the palate area and the tongue area, giving you more room to breathe.

Who Should Consider MMA Surgery?

MMA surgery isn’t for everyone, but it’s a great option for specific patients:

People with severe sleep apnea who have tried CPAP but couldn’t tolerate it
Patients with moderate sleep apnea plus extreme daytime sleepiness who failed other treatments
Those who refuse to use or cannot stick with CPAP therapy long-term
Patients whose jaw structure or facial features contribute to their breathing problems

Before surgery, you’ll undergo careful evaluation by both an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and other specialists. This team approach makes sure surgery is the right choice for your specific situation.

Success Rates and Long-Term Results

The results from MMA surgery are impressive. Research shows that 83-86% of patients see significant improvement in their sleep apnea.

Studies have found that this surgery reduces the number of breathing interruptions from an average of 64 times per hour down to just 11 times per hour.

That’s a huge difference in sleep quality.

Even better, these improvements last. Long-term studies tracking patients for six years or more show that MMA surgery continues to work well over time.

Patients maintain lower apnea scores, better blood pressure, less daytime sleepiness, and improved quality of life years after their surgery.

According to the Canadian Lung Association, proper treatment for sleep apnea significantly improves both health outcomes and daily function. MMA surgery offers a permanent solution for patients who need an alternative to CPAP.

What to Expect from Recovery

Recovery from jaw surgery takes time, but most patients feel the results are worth it. You’ll need to take several weeks off work and stick to a soft food diet while your jaws heal. Swelling and discomfort are normal at first, but they improve steadily.

Your surgeon will give you detailed instructions about caring for yourself after surgery. Follow-up appointments make sure everything is healing properly. Most patients return to normal activities within a few months and finally start experiencing the deep, restful sleep they’ve been missing.

Calgary Oral Surgery Group’s Expertise

Calgary Oral Surgery Group’s team of oral and maxillofacial surgeons are Fellows of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, which means they’ve completed extensive training and met the highest standards in their field.

They hold clinical privileges at Calgary hospitals and practice the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, including advanced treatments for sleep apnea.

With four convenient locations across Calgary and Airdrie, Calgary Oral Surgery Group serves patients from Beddington Heights to Mahogany, from downtown Calgary to Airdrie, and everywhere in between. Each location offers the same high standard of care and expertise.

The surgeons work closely with sleep physicians, respirologists, and other specialists to provide comprehensive care. This team approach means your treatment plan is based on input from multiple experts who understand your unique situation.

Take the Next Step Toward Better Sleep

If you’re tired of feeling tired, or if CPAP therapy hasn’t worked for you, it’s time to explore other options. Sleep apnea treatment can dramatically improve your health, energy, and quality of life.

Start by getting a proper sleep study diagnosis. Once you know what you’re dealing with, Calgary Oral Surgery Group can help you understand whether surgical treatment is right for you.

Ready to breathe easier and sleep better? Contact Calgary Oral Surgery Group today to schedule a consultation. With locations in northwest Calgary, southeast Calgary, southwest Calgary, and Airdrie, expert care is close to home.

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