Over 40% of people snore. This is caused by the vibration of relaxed tissues in your airways that in turn cause air particles to generate sound waves. Some of the risk factors associated with snoring include a narrowed airway, nasal issues, excess body weight, and a positive family history of snoring.
Snoring is generally harmless, but it can significantly affect the quality of your sleep and that of your partner’s. Compromised sleep quality will leave you tired throughout and lower your general body immunity, thus causing various systemic conditions.
There are a few orthodontics appliances and dental solutions for the management of snoring. Though generally used for people whose snoring is caused by obstructive sleep apnea, you should get a dentist to review your symptoms and advise you.
Do not assume that your snoring is nothing to worry about and forego a dental review. The following are the alternatives available in dentistry for the management of snoring.
CPAP Devices
Continuous positive airway pressure {CPAP} devices comprise a mask worn over the mouth or nose while you sleep. This mask is connected to machines supplying a continuous air flow to the nostrils.
The pressure from this air supply will keep your nostrils open, and your breathing while asleep will not be impaired. There are several variations of CPAP devices, including VPAP that has varying air levels and BiPAP with two air pressure levels. Some manufacturers have humidifiers for their CPAP devices so that the air being supplied will not dry your tissues.
Mandibular Advancement Devices
This device will prevent your tongue’s rear part from falling back and obstructing your throat when sleeping in a supine position. It does this by putting your lower jaw muscles under slight tension and pushing them forward gently so that the tongue will not relax and fall.
Mandibular advancement devices are thus used to avert tongue snoring. These devices also suffice for the treatment of an overbite or receding chin.
Anti-Snoring Braces
These are bow-shaped loops made of stainless steel and coated with silicone. The brace is pushed into the palate and will place the palatal arch under slight tension.
This makes the palate rigid and averts its vibration, which causes the snoring sound when asleep. The brace is used for those who snore with their mouth closed, a condition known as retrovelar snoring.
Surgery
This is reserved for snoring cases attributed to physical issues and those that cannot be resolved by noninvasive procedures. Some of the common dental surgical procedures for the management of snoring include palate surgery, tonsillectomy, somnoplasty, and maxillomandibular advancement.
These procedures are designed to keep your airway stable when asleep and minimize the vibrations that generate a snoring sound.
The management alternatives mentioned here are combined with some behavioral changes to boost their efficacy for the management of snoring. Smoking cessation, alcohol moderation, weight loss, and alteration of your sleeping position are some of the changes that will help you manage snoring issues even after surgery or when using a dental appliance.
You need not contend with snoring affecting your sleep or subject your partner to it with the above management options available. Get a dental review today and start enjoying your sleep.
