How Can Your Dentist Help You Stop Snoring?

Snoring is a sound generated by the vibration of the tissues in the nose and the throat. It is a result of obstructive airflow while breathing and it happens especially when you are sleeping. The sound generated can either be soft or loud depending on the severity of the condition. While snoring is not a health hazard in itself, critical snoring can be a sign of sinus infections, allergies, or Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA, if left untreated, can result in serious health risks like high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attacks. If you are suffering from sleep apnea, then dentists can offer treatments to help deal with, and reduce snoring and its complications. This article talks about two such methods that dentists widely recommend to stop snoring.

Oral Appliance Therapy

In this form of treatment, the dentist suggests using a device similar to a mouth retainer or a guard while you sleep. The appliances keep your jaw in a forward direction, opening the nasal airway. The devices are rated to be highly effective in treating OSA. There are two such devices that a dentist refers to for this form of therapy—

1. Mandibular Advancement Devices (MAD)

These are the most common sleep devices suggested by dentists. They fit over your upper and lower teeth like a retainer connected by hinges. It keeps your mandible, the lower jaw, in the forward direction. The tongue, then, gets attached to the lower jaw, behind the chin. Due to this, the collapsible part of the airway due to the tongue and other throat muscles are pulled forward. Thus, it keeps the oral airway open, facilitating free airflow. They come with adjustable settings, and dentists can fine-tune them to fit any jaw structure effectively. MADs also help in strengthening and improving the rigidity of the airway by working on the oral and nasal muscles.

2. Tongue Retaining Devices (TRD)

TRDs work on the tongue, rather than the jaw like in MADs. These devices pull the tongue forward, without changing the apparent position of the jaw. The working is the same as a MAD, but TRDs are considered to be more efficient. However, they are not as comfortable as MADs and can take weeks or months to be worn comfortably by the patient. Therefore TRDs are not utilized often.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy

CPAP is a positive airway pressure ventilator, which applies mild air pressure in the nasal airway that helps to keep the tract open and free of any obstructions. This results in unrestricted airflow while sleeping. They are mask-like devices, which cover your nose and the mouth in a way that provides a constant air supply to the lungs while you are sleeping. However, patients have complained that they are highly uncomfortable due to a snug fit on the nose and the mouth.

There are other ways to cure snoring and related sleep apnea problems. You can get in touch with us at Edmonton Smiles for a free consultation regarding sleep apnea treatment.